,.*!5sS!rri,-^ 


LIBRARY 


BJ    1251    .D5    1830 
Dick,    Thomas,    1774-1857. 
The  philosophy  of   religion, ^ 
or.    An   illustration  of   the' 


m 
^ 


*^     K 


THE 

PHILOSOPHY 

OF 

RELIGION; 

OR 

AN  ILLUSTRATION 

OF    THE 

MORAL  LAWS  OF  THE    UNIVERSE. 


BY  THOMAS  DICK, 

AUTHOR    OF    "the    CHRISTIAN    PHILOSOPHER,"    &C.    &C. 


Knowledge  is  Power." — Lord  Bacon. 
Love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  Law." — Paul. 


SECOND   AMERICAN  EDITION,   WITH   CORRECTIONS     AND 
NOTES. 


BROOKFIELD,  MASS. 

PRINTED    AND    PUBLISHED    BY    E.    AND    G.    MERRIAM. 


1830. 


DISTRICT  OF  MASSACHUSETTS,  tO  wit  : 

District  Clerk'' s  Office. 

[L.  S.]     Be   it  remembered,  that  on  the  tenth  day  of  October, 

A.  D.    1829,  in  1  he  fifty-fourth  year  of  the  Independence  of  the 

United  States  of  America,  E.  &  G.  Merriam,  of  the  said  District, 

have  deposited  in  this  Office,  the  title  of  a  book,  the  right  whereof 

they  claim  as  proprietors,   in  the  words  following,  to  loit : 

Tlie  Philosophy  of  Religion  ;  or.  An  Illustration  of  the  Moral 
Laws  of  the  Universe.  By  Thomas  Dick,  Author  of  "  The  Chris- 
tian Philosopher,"  &c.  &c. 

"  Knowledge  is  Power." — Lord  Bacon. 
"  Love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  Law." — Paul. 
First  American  Edition,  with  Corrections   and  Notes. 

In  conformity  to  the  Act  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States, 
entitled,  "  An  Act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning,  by  securing 
the  copies  of  maps,  charts,  and  books,  to  the  authors  and  proprietors 
of  such  copies,  during  the  times  therein  mentioned:"  and  also  to 
an  Act,  entitled,  "  An  Act,  supplementary  to  an  Act,  entitled,  "An 
Act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning,  by  securing  the  copies  of 
maps,  charts  and  books,  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such 
copies,  during  the  times  therein  mentioned  ;  and  extending  the  ben- 
efits thereof  to  the  arts  of  designing,  engraving,  and  etching  his- 
torical and  other  prints." 

JNO.  W.  DAVIS, 
Clerk  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


This  volume  was  not  designed  to  be  the  Phi- 
losophy of  Mediation.  It  is  a  lucid  developement 
of  the  relations,  which  intellectual  and  moral 
agents  sustain  to  their  Creator  and  to  each  other  ; 
and  of  the  reasons  of  the  Law  which  requires 
us  to  "  love  the  Lord  with  all  the  heart  and  our 
neighbour  as  ourselves."  The  character  of  man 
in  all  ages  and  under  various  circumstances  is 
tried  by  the  principles,  "  on  which  hang  all  the 
Law  and  the  Prophets ;"  and  is  clearly  shown  to 
accord  with  those  representations  of  our  aliena- 
tion from  God,  which  are  repeatedly  made  in  the 
Scriptures.  The  work  is  presented  to  the  Amer- 
ican Public  with  an  assurance,  that  it  will  be 
found  interesting,  instructive  and  useful. 
Brookfield,  Mass.  1829. 


PREFACE. 


To  delineate  the  Moral  bearings  of  the  Chris- 
tian Revelation, — to  display  the  reasonableness 
and  the  excellence  of  its  precepts,  and  the  physi- 
cal and  rational  grounds  on  which  they  rest, — and 
to  exhibit  a  few  prominent  features  in  the  moral 
aspect  of  the  world, — were  some  of  the  principal  ob- 
jects which  the  Author  had  in  view,  in  the  compo- 
sition of  the  following  work.  He  is  not  aware 
that  a  similar  train  of  thought  has  been  prosecuted, 
to  the  same  extent,  by  any  preceding  writer;  and 
is,  therefore,  disposed  to  indulge  the  hope,  that  it 
may  prove  both  entertaining  and  instructive  to  the 
general  reader,  and  to  the  intelligent  Christian. 

It  may  not  be  improper  to  remind  the  reader, 
that  the  Author's  object  simply  is,  to  illustr^ate  the 
topics  he  has  selected  as  the  subject  of  this  volume. 
As  he  has  taken  his  fundamental  principles  from 
the  system  of  Revelation,  he  was  under  no  neces- 
sity, as  most  ethical  writers  are,  to  enter  into  any 
laboured  metaphysical  discussions  on  the  foun- 
1 


dation  of  Morality,  and  the  motives  from  which 
moral  actions  should  proceed. — The  truth  of  Rev- 
elation is,  of  course,  taken  for  granted  ;  and  all 
who  acknowledge  its  Divine  authority,  will  readily 
admit  the  principles  which  form  the  basis  of  the 
system  here  illustrated.  But,  although  it  formed 
no  particular  part  of  the  Author's  plan  to  illustrate 
the  evidences  of  the  Christian  Revelation,  he  trusts, 
that  the  view  which  is  here  given  of  the  benignant 
tendency  of  its  moral  requisitions,  will  form  a  pow- 
erful presumptive  argument  in  support  of  its  celes- 
tial origin. 

The  Christian  reader  may  also  be  reminded,  that 
it  is  only  the  Philosophy  of  Religion  which  the 
Author  has  attempted  to  illustrate.  It  formed  no 
part  of  his  plan  to  enter  into  any  particular  discus- 
sions on  the  doctrines  of  Revelation,  or  on  those 
topics  which  have  so  frequently  been  the  subject 
of  controversy  in  the  Christian  church.  It  is  not 
to  support  the  tenets  of  Calvinism,  Arminianism, 
Baxterianism,  Arianism,  or  any  other  ism  which 
distinguishes  the  various  denominations  of  the  Re- 
ligious world,  that  these  illustrations  are  presented 
to  public  view  ;  but  to  elucidate  an  object  which 
it  appears  to  be  the  grand  design  of  Revelation  to 
accomplish,  and  in  the  promotion  of  which,  every 
section  of  the  Christian  church  is  equally  interest- 
ed, and  to  which  they  would  do  well  to  "  take 
heed." — In  his  illustrations  of  this  subject,  the  Au- 
thor has  kept  his  eye  solely  on  the  two  Revelations 
v/hich  the  Almighty  has  given  to   mankind, — the 

SYSTEM   OF   NATURE,   and   thc   SACRED  RECORDS, 

just  as  they  standi — without   any   regard   to   the 


theori€s  of  philosophers,  the  opinions  of  commen- 
tators, or  the  systems  of  theologians.  He  is  dis- 
posed to  view  the  Revelations  of  the  Bible,  rather 
as  a  series  of  important /acf*,  from  which  moral 
instructions  are  to  be  deduced,  than  as  a  system 
of  metaphysical  opinions  for  the  exercise  of  the  in- 
tellect. 

On  the  leading  topics  which  have    divided   the 
Christian  world,  the  Author   has  formed    his    own 
opinions,    and  has  adopted    those   which   he   has 
judged,  on  the  whole,  to  be  most  correct ;  but  it  is 
of  no  importance  to  the  reader   what  these  opm- 
ions  are,  or   what  system   of  speculative  theology 
he  is  inclined,  on  the  whole,  to  support.      He  sets 
very  little  value  upon  purely  speculative  opinions, 
except  in  so  far  as  they  tend  to  promote  the  grand 
moral  objects  of  Christianity  ;   and,  while    he  as- 
sumes the  unalienable  right  of  thinking  for   himself 
on  the  subject  of  religion,  he  is  disposed  to  allow 
the  same  privilege  to  others.     He  believes,  on  tne 
authority  of  Scripture,  that  "  God   is  the   Creator 
of  heaven  and  earth  ;" — that  "  he    is  righteous  in 
all  his  ways,  and  holy  in  all  his  works  ;" — that  "  he 
is  good  to  all,  and  that  his  tender  mercies  are  over 
all  his  works  ;" — that  "  he  so  loved  the  world,  that 
he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  on  him   might  not  perish,  but   have   ever- 
lasting life  ;" — that  "  Christ  died  for  our  sins,  that 
he  was   buried,  and  that  he  rose   again  from  the 
dead,  according  to  the  Scriptures  ;" — that  "  he  is 
the  propitiation  for  our  sins,  and  that  he  ever  lives 
to  make  intercession  ;" — together  with  all  the  other 
facts  and  doctrines  with  which   these   are   essen- 
tially connected.      But  he  views  the  recognition  of 


such  doctrines  and  facts,  not  as  the  end  of  religion, 
but  only  as  the  means  by  which  the  great  moral 
objects  of  Christianity  are  to  be  promoted  and  ac- 
complished. 

In  illustrating  the  Moral  state  of  the  world,  the; 
Author  is  sorry  that  he  was  obliged  to  compress 
his  details  within  so  narrow  limits.  Few  readers, 
however,  will  appreciate  the  labour  and  research 
he  was  under  the  necessity  of  bestowing,  in  order 
to  select  and  arrange  the  facts  which  he  has  de- 
tailed. He  has  occasionally  had  to  condense  a 
long  history  or  narrative,  and  even  a  whole  volume, 
into  the  compass  of  two  or  three  pages ;  and  to 
search  through  more  than  twenty  volumes,  in  order 
to  find  materials  to  fill  a  couple  of  pages.  With 
the  same  degree  of  research,  (excepting  the  me- 
chanical labour  of  transcription,)  he  might  have 
filled  several  volumes  with  similar  illustrations  ; 
and  he  is  convinced  that  a  work  of  this  descrip- 
tion, judiciously  executed,  would  prove  highly  in- 
structive, as  well  as  entertaining,  not  only  to  the 
Christian  world,  but  to  readers  of  every  descrip- 
tion. 

Various  topics,  connected  with  the  Philosophy 
of  Religion,  still  remain  to  be  illustrated.  These 
shall  form  the  subject  of  discussion  in  a  future 
volume,  should  the  present  work  be  received  with 
general  approbation. 

Perth,  Januanj,  1S26. 


CONTENTS. 


Paire 
Introduction,  17 

Objects  of  human  knowledge — matter  and  mind,  17.  Gra- 
dation of  intellectual  beings,  IS.  Moral  relations  of  intelligent 
agents,  20.  Connection  of  morality  with  liappiness — illustrated 
by  an  example,  21.  Inutility  of  systems  of  Ethics,  detached 
from  Revelation — Ancient  systems,  &c.  22-26. 

CHAPTER  I. 

ON  THE  MORAL  RELATIONS    OF    INTELLIGENT   BE- 
INGS TO  THEIR  CREATOR. 

Sect.  I.  On   the  primanj  or  most  o;e)ieral  idea  of  morality,  27 

Physical  order,  illustrated,  27.  Morat  order  illustrated,  27.  lead- 
mg  idea  of  holiness,  30. 

Sect.  U.   On  the  fumlamentcd  principles  of  morality,  30 

First  principle — love  to  God. 

Sect.  III.  On  the  Omnipotence  of  God,  33 

Power,  accompanied  with  benevolent  design,  illustrated,  33. 
Power  of  the  Creator,  in  the  production  of  the  universe,  in  the 
annual  and  diurnal  motions  of  the  earth — benevolence  display- 
ed in  the  exertions  of  omnipotence,  34-37.  Reason  why  the 
<lisplays  of  Omnipotence  arc  so  little  regarded,  37.  Power  of 
God  calculated  to  inspire  the  mind  with  confidence  in  the  pros- 
pect of  the  future  scenes  of  eternity,  38.  Recognised  by  the  in- 
spired writers  as  a  ground  of  confidence. 

Sect.  IV.  On  the  xoisdom  and  Goodness  of  God,  41 

Benevolence  illustrated  in  the  case  of  Hoioard,  42.     Benevo- 
lence of  the  Creator  displayed  in  the  objects  of  sight,  42.  in  the 
objects  of  hearing,  of  smelling^  of  feeling,  of  taste,  43-45.  in  the 
1* 


10  CONTENTS. 

Page 
arrangements  of  day  and  niirht,  the  atmosphere,  kc.  46.  m  the 
adjustment  of  the  organs  of  sense  to  the  scenes  of  external  na- 
ture, 47.  Structure  of  the  eyes,  48.  of  the  ear,  49.  of  the  sense 
ui^  feeling,  51.  of  tlie  organs  of  taste,  51.  of  the  organs  of  smel- 
ling, 52.  Number  of  agencies  requisite  for  the  gratification  of 
this  sense,  53.  System  of  organization  in  the  human  body,  54. 
Pain  never  the  object  of  contrivance,  55.  Summary  of  the  bles- 
sings we  enjoy  from  the  wise  arrangements  of  the  Creator,  57. 
Benevolence  displayed  towards  other  worlds,  58.  Illustrations 
of  this  subject  from  the  sacred  writers,  59-63. 

Sect.  V.  On  the  Mercy  and  Patience  of  God,  63 

Mercy  and  forbearance  defined  and  illustrated,  63.  General 
character  and  conduct  of  human  beings,  64.  forbearance  of  the 
Deitv  towards  them,  66.  this  character  peculiar  to  God,  67.  cal- 
culated to  excite  admiration,  69.  Agents  in  the  system  of  na- 
ture, which  could  be  employed  as  ministers  of  vengeance — 
Lisrht,  69.  the  atmosphere,  70.  stopping  the  earth's  motion,  or 
bending  its  axis,  ibid.  Comets,  72.  occasional  instances  of  pun- 
ishments inflicted  by  the  elements  of  nature — earthquakes — the 
Deluge — electrical  clouds,  kc.  72-75.  This  attribute  calculated 
to  inspire  affection,  75. 

Sect.  VI.  Of  the  Rectitude  of  the  Divine   Character,  76 

The  existence  of  this  attribute  proved  from  reason,  76.  from 
scripture,  77.  Reasons  why  we  are  incompetent  to  form  a  cor- 
rect judomentof  the  displays  of  this  attribute,  78.  How  it  is 
displayed  in  the  ordinary  course  of  providence,  SO.  Has  a  ten- 
dency to  inspire  us  with  confidence  and  joy,  SI.  Reason  why 
the  Author  has  illustrated  this  subject  so  diffusely,  82.  Relations 
in  which  the  Deity  stands  to  us,  83. 

Sect.  VII.  Modes  in  which  love  to  God  is  displayed,  85 

Complacencn  in  liis  administration,  85.  ^^dmiration  of  his 
works,  86.  Ylumility,  87.  Resignation,  SS.  Gratitude,  d0-d4. 
Sublimity  of  the  principle  of  love,  95,  Anecdote  of  Kircher,  06. 
Means  by  y-hich  love  may  be  irnigorated  and  expanded,  99. 

CHAPTER  II. 

SECOND  PRINCIPLE  OF   MORAL    ACTION— LOVE   TO 
ALL  SUBORDINATE  INTELLIGENCES. 

Sect.  I.  The  Natural  Equality  of  Mankind,  considered  as 
the    basis  of  love  to  our  neighbour,  101 

Their  equality  in  res])tct  of  tkeir  origin — the  mechar.ism 
of  their  bodies — their  mental  faculties — their  moral  depravity — 
their  pleasures,  wants  and  ajjiictlons — and  the  termination  of  th<ir 
mortal  existence,  101-108.  Argument  for  love  founded  on  thes(^ 
circumstances,  109.  Advantages  of  a  subordination  of  rank  in 
the  present  world,  110. 


CONTENTS. 


11 


121 


Page 
vSect.  II.     Of  the  Connections  and  relations  which  subsist 
among  mankind,  112 

Men  in  every  quarter  of  the  ulobe,  are  connected  toircther  by 
certain  ties  and  relations.  This  connection  exemphfied  in  the 
different  trades  and  employments  in  our  own  country,  113.  in 
China,  Persia,  Siberia,  the  West  Indies,  Norway,  Sweden,  &c. 
113.  on  the  surface,  and  in  the  bowels  of  the  ocean,  115.  in  the 
subterraneous  apartments  of  the  globe,  116.  Argument  for  uni- 
versal benevolence  founded  on  these  relations,  1 18-119.  Physi- 
cal arrangements  of  the  globe,  which  indicate  that  the  Creator 
intended  to  promote  an  extensive  and  benevolent  intercourse 
among  mankind,  119 

Sect.  III.  The  Ultimate  Destination  of  Mankind,   as  ( 

foundation  for  benevolence, 

Importance  of  every  affection  connected  with  an  immortal  ex- 
istence, 122.  IntcrcstinfT  views  and  relations  which  the  scenes 
of  eternity  present,  123-127.  Our  duty  towards  our  degraded 
brethren  who  are  unqualified  for  a  happy  immortality,  127. 

Sect.  IV.     On  the  effects  which  tomdd  ensue  v^ere  the  principle  of 
Love  reversed,  and  were  rational  beings  to  act  accordingly,  127 

Effects  which  malevolence  would  produce  in  families,  and  in 
larger  societies,  128.  in  the  common  intercourse  of  life,  129.  em- 
ployments in  which  malignant  beings  would  delight,  130-132. 
present  an  idea  ot  the  scenes  of  future  punishment,  133.  Effects 
of  malevolence  in  relation  to  the  Divine  Being,  134.  General 
tendency  of  malignant  passions,  135. 

Sect.  V.     Effects  which  would  flow  from  the  full  operation  of  the 
principle  of  Love,  136 

Evils  which  would  be  eradicated,  136-139.  Positive  blessmgs 
which  would  be  enjoyed  in  families  and  larger  communities,  140. 
m  the  intercourse  of  nations,  140.  in  the  intellectual  improve- 
ment, and  general  melioration  of  the  condition  of  mankind,  141. 
m  the  exercise  of  kindness  and  generosity,  143.  in  the  diminu- 
tion of  physical  evils,  145.  Effects  of  love  in  relation  to  God, 
146.  Studies  and  exercises  in  which  benevolent  beings  would 
engage,  147.  grand  object  at  which  they  would  aim,  149.  Pre- 
sent state  of  the  moral  woi'ld,  150.  Prospect  of  melioration  in 
future  times,  151. 

Sect.  VI.   Universality  of  the  principle  of  love,  152 

Itpervadesthemoralcodeof  other  worlds,  153.  Moral  precepts 
common  to  all  intelliirences,  155.  Love  qualifies  us  for  associa- 
ting with  superior  beings,  156.  connects  us  with  the  inhabitants 
ot  distant  worlds,  157.  One  religion  prevails  throughout  the  imi- 
verse,  159.  Analogy  of  love  to  the  principle  of  attraction,  161. 
consequences  of  the  suspension  of  this  principle,  163. 

Sect.  VII.  Thepreceding  views  corroborated  by  Divine  Revelation,  165 
Historical  facts,  religious  institutions,  precepts,  &.c.  of  the  Old 


12  CONTENTS. 

Page 
Testament,  165.     Discourses  and  example  of  our  Saviour,  168. 
Writings  of  the  Apostles,  172.     The  last  Judgment,  175, 

Sect.  VIII.  On  the  practical  operation  of  love,  or,  the  various  modes 
in  which  it  should  he  displayed  toioards  ynunkind.  176 

Activity  of  this  principle,  1 77.  The  benevolent  agency  of 
God  our  pattern  and  cxamplar,  177.  Operation  of  love  in  relation 
to  man,  considered  as  a  sensitive  being,  180-184.  as  an  intellec- 
iuai  being,  184.  ns  z.n  immortal  being,  186.  Love  the  impelling 
principle  to  every  virtue,  188.  Cardinal  virtues,  &c.  189.  Dif- 
tusive  nature  of  benevolence,  190.  Moral  systems,  their  inutil- 
ty  in  reference  to  practice,  193.  Benevolence  in  relation  to  the 
inferior  animals,  195.  Anecdotes  of  animals — Arabian  horses 
— Baron  Trenck's  mouse — spiders,  &c.  197.  concluding  extract. 
199. 


CHAPTER  III. 

ON    THE    MORAL    LAW,    AND    THE    RATIONAL    GROUNDS 
ON    WHICH    ITS    PRECEPTS    ARE    FOUNDED. 

Solemn  circumstances  which  attended  the  proclamation  of  this 
law  at  Sinai,  201. 

The  First  Commandment,  204 

Tendency  of  mankind  to  violate  this  law,  204.  Idolatry  of 
the  Romans,  Egyptians,  &c.  206.  Moral  effects  produced  by 
idolatry,  208.  cruelties  of  the  Mexicans  and  other  idolaters,  209. 
irrationality  of  idol  worship,  210.     Mental  idolatry,  211. 

Second  Commandment,  212 

Its  object,  212.  Impossibility  of  representing  the  Divine  Being 
by  external  forms,  213.  Debasing  tendency  of  such  attempts, 
213.  consequences  to  which  they  lead,  214.  The  only  natural 
image  of  God,  215.  Expansion  of  the  universe,  216.  Christian 
idolatry,  217.     Causes  of  Pagan  idolatry,  219. 

Third  Commandment,  220 

Explained,  220.  Manner  in  which  it  is  violated,  220.  conse- 
quences wliich  would  follow  its  general  violation,  222.  Effects 
of  religious  veneration,  223. 

Fodrth  Commandment,  224 

Importance  of  the  Sabbath  to  man  as  a  day  of  rest,  224.  and 
a.s  a  season  for  religious  contemplation,  227.  Work  of  Crea- 
tion, 227.  of  Redeniption,  230.  Public  worship,  231.  Conse- 
quences wliich  would  follow  were  the  Sabbath  abolished,  232. 


CONTENTS.  13 

Page 
Fifth  Commandment,  233 

General  remarks  on  the  preceding  precept?,  233.  Relations 
of  mankind,  234.  Consequences  which  would  follow  were  the 
law  which  respects  these  relations  reversed,  235.  Eflects  of  uni- 
versal obedience  to  this  precept,  237. 

Sixth  Commandment,  239 

References  of  this  law  explained,  239.  Consequences  which 
would  flow  from  its  universal  violation,  242.  Counteraction  of 
the  principle  of  hatred,  &c.  243. 

Seventh  Commandment,  244 

Explained,  244.  Marriage  and  Divorces,  245.  Dreadful  ef- 
fects which  would  flow  from  universal  licentiousness,  246.  Dis- 
mal effects  of  prostitution,  249.  This  law  peculiar  to  the  in- 
habitants of  our  globe,  250. 

Eighth  Commandment,  251 

General  Remarks,  251.  Various  modes  in  which  this  law  is 
violated,  252.  Consequences  of  its  general  violation,  252.  Be- 
neficial effects  which  would  flow  from  obedience  to  its  require- 
ment, 254. 

Ninth  Commandment,  256 

Importance  of  truth  and  veracity,  256.  Veracity  the  founda- 
tion of  knowledge  and  confidence — of  our  future  prospects,  and 
of  our  views  of  the  character  of  the  Deity,  257.  Importance  of 
accurate  statements  of  physical  facts,  259.  Importance  of  ve- 
racity in  relation  to  our  improvement  in  the  eternal  world,  260. 
Various  ways  in  which  truth  is  violated,  262.  Evils  which  have 
arisen  from  its  violation,  266.  EflTects  which  would  follow  on 
its  universal  violation,  267.  Delightful  effects  which  would  flow 
from  a  universal  regard  to  truth,  270. 

Tenth  Commandment,  272 

The  breach  of  this  law  leads  to  a  violation  of  the  other  pre- 
cepts, 273.  Avarice — its  pernicious  effect  on  individuals,  274. 
On  communities  and  nations,  the  slave  trade,  &.c.  274.  Ambi- 
tion— various  ways  in  which  it  is  displayed,  276.  its  destructive 
effects,  276.  Contentment^  its  reasonableness  and  beneficial  ef- 
fects, 278. 

General  conclusions  founded  on  the  preceding  illustrations,  279 

The  moral  law  not  the  dictates  of  an  arbitrary  Sovereign, 
280.  Reasonableness  of  obedience,  282.  connection  between 
the  precepts  of  the  Divine  law — its  universal  violation  would 
lead  to  the  destruction  of  mankind — has  never  yet  been  univer- 
sally violated — is  obUgatory  on  all  worlds — Divine  origin  of  the 
Christian  Revelation — Absurdity  of  Antinomianism,  283-290. 
Faith  and  repentance,  290.    Salvation  an  act  of  grace,  kc.  292- 


14  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

A     CURSORY     SURVEY      OF     THE      MORAL     STATE      OF     THE 
WORLD. 

Page 

Scenes  in  a  world  of  moral  perfection,  296.  Moral  aspect  of 
our  world,  298. 

Sect.  I.     Stale  of  morals  in  the  ancient  world,  299 

Morals  of  the  Antediluvians  as  exhibited  in  sacred  history,  299. 
by  Heathen  writers,  302.  Morals  of  the  Postdiluvians,  303. 
Warlike  dispositions  of  mankind,  305.  Wars  of  the  Cartha- 
ginians, 305.  Summary  statement  of  the  numbers  slain  in  va- 
rious battles,  30S.  Army  of  Xerxes,  310.  Destruction  of  hu- 
man beings  by  the  Goths,  by  Jenghiz-Khan,  by  the  Crusades, 
&c.  311.  Numbers  slain  in  war  since  the  beginning  of  the 
world,  312.  Atrocities  connected  with  war — In  ancient 
times,  313-318.  in  modern  times,  318.  Moral  reflections,  320. 
Immoralities  connected  with  war,  321. 

Sect.  II.     Moral  state  of  savage  naiimis  in  modern  times,  324 

Prominent  dispositions  of  savage  and  half-civilized 
TRIBES,  324.  North  American  Indians,  325.  Africayxs, — Adc- 
mese  Negroes — Inhabitants  of  Dahomy — of  Ashantee,  &c.  327. 
The  Algerines,  Gallas,  Feloops,  Boshemen,  Moors,  Bedouins, 
Egyptians,  &c.  331.  Asiatics, — Mingrelians,  Tartars,  Arabians, 
Chinese,  Birmans,  Persians,  Hindoos,  &c.  333.  Islands  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean, — New  Zealanders,  New  Caledonians,  Otaliei- 
tans,  &c.  337.  Warlike  attitude  of  nations,  341.  Armies 
of  Ashantee,  of  Dahomy,  of  Benin,  &c.  342.  Circassians, 
South-Sea  Islanders — Reflections,  343.  Inhumanity  of  unciv- 
ilized TRICES  TO  unfortunate  TRAVELLERS.  Preliminary  re- 
marks, 345.  Treatment  of  the  crew  of  the  Grosvenor  Indiaman 
by  the  Cafires,  345.  Cruel  treatment  of  M.  Brisson  and  his 
companions  in  Barbary,  349.  Suflerings  of  Mr.Muniro  Park — 
Inhumanity  of  the  Moors — Reflections,  352 — 357.  ^Malevo- 
lent   DISPOSITIONS    AS    DISPLAYED    IN    DISFIGURING  THE  HUMAN 

BODY.  Symmetry  and  perfection  of  the  human  frame,  357.  Un- 
natural practices  of  the  Omaguas,  Brazilians,  New  Hollanders, 
Chinese,  &c.  358.  Cause  of  the  thick  lips,  and  flat  noses  of  the 
Negroes,  361.  Paiii  produced  by  tattooing,  &c.  361.  Malevo- 
lence AS  IT  APPEARS  IN  THE  RELIGION  OF  SAVAGE  TRIBES.       Rc- 

ligion  of  the  J\l'esserie,  «^c.  363.     General  Reflections. 

Sect.  III.     Modern  state  of  Cimlized  nations,  365 

Proportion  of  civilized  to  savage  nations,  365.  Dispositions  of 
the  young,  and  modes  by  which  they  arc  tramed,  366.  wSchools, 
and  school-boys,  367.  Diversions  of  the  young,  368.  Boxing, 
and  its  disgraceful  eftccts,  369.  Deficiencies  in  our  seminaries  of 
instniction,  370.    Malignity  as  displayed  in  the  various  scenes  of 


CONTENTS.  15 

Page 
social  life,  371.  General  disposition  to  detraction,  372.  Public 
Amiiseme7its — cock-fighting — bull-baiting — horse- racing — dog- 
fighting — field-sports,  &,c.  373.  Benevolent  character  of  an  Abys- 
sinian,"376.  Spanish  bull-fights,  and  character  of  the  Spaniards, 
376 — 380.  Literary  Jlmusemeats — books  for  the  nursery,  330. 
Waverly  Novels,  Character  of  Sir  W.  Scott,  381.  Futility  of 
works  of  fiction,  382 — 335.  Literary  and  scientific  characters, 
Publishers,  distressed  Authors,  &c.  385.  Penal  codes  of  civilized 
nations,  386.  Prison  disciphne,  387.  Sanguinary  character  of 
penal  statutes— executions  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  388.  Cru- 
elties inflicted  on  criminals — execution  in  Berfin,  389.  Russian 
punishments,  390.  Execution  of  Damiens— British  penal  statutes, 
391.  Beccaria's  sarcastic  remark  in  relation  to  the  torture,  392. 
Summary  view  of  the  various  punishments  in  diflferent  countries, 
ibid.  Slave  trade,  wreckers,  warlike  dispositions,  tyranny,  bar- 
barous Sardinian  edict,  393.  State  of  morals  in  Poland,  395. 
Moral  state  of  Cuba,  396.  Depravity  amidst  scenes  of  danger — 
Shipwreck  of  Byron,  397.  Conduct  of  the  crew  of  the  JWfetiusa 
Frigate,  398.  Loss  of  the  Kent  East  Indiaman,  400.  Shocking 
practices  in  Carolina  and  Georgia,  401. 

Sect.  IV.     Moral  state  of  the  Christian  woiid,  403 

Dispositions  of  the  primitive  Christians,  403.  Causes  which 
produced  the  decay  of  Christian  love,  403.  Divisions,  supersti- 
tions, and  intolerance  under  the  reign  of  Christian  Emperors,  404. 
Intemperate  zeal  of  Theodosius — Murder  of  Hypatia,  406.  Dis- 
putes and  vain  speculations,  407.  Superstitions  of  the  middle 
ages,  409.  Pillar-saints,  rehgious  devotees,  and  flagellants,  410. 
Power  of  the  clergy,  411.  Theological  speculations  and  absurdi- 
ties, 412.  Feast  of  the  Ass — quahfications  of  a  Christian — indul- 
gences, 413.  Morals  of  the  clergy,  414.  Holy  wars,  416.  In- 
quisition— burning  of  heretics,  416.  Instruments  of  torture,  418. 
Number  of  victims  destroyed  by  the  Inquisition,  419.  Bartholo- 
mew massacre,  420.  Dragooning,  421.  Religious  wars  and  per- 
secutions, 422.  Persecutions  in  Britain,  423.  Reflections,  424. 
Present  mar  at  state  oj  Catholic  countries — Cuba,  425.  Naples,  426, 
Tuscany,  Rome,  &c.  427.  Remarks  of  Buonaparte  on  this  sub- 
ject, ffti'i.  Moral  state  of  the  Protestant  CHURCH.-Denorrv- 
inationsofthe  Christian  world,  428.  Tempers  displayed  by  re- 
ligious controversialists,  429.  Jealousies  of  the  different  sectaries 
432.  Illiberahty  and  incivility  of  certain  bodies  of  religionists,  433. 
Contentions  in  Christian  societies,  434.  Spirit  of  persecution  and 
mtolerance  exemplified  by  church-men,  Presbyterians  and  Inde- 
pendents, 435.  Persecution  in  Barbadoes,  and  Demerara,  437.  in 
Switzerland,  439.  in  England,  439.  General  reflections,  442.  Prac- 
ticability of  the  universal  operation  of  benevolence,  exemplified  in 
the  case  of  the  Apostles,  Howard,  Venning,  &c.  444.  Moravians, 
Cluakers,  Anecdote,  447.  Means  of  promoting  Christian  morali- 
ty, 448.  General  conclusions, — subject  of  preaching,  450.  Church 
censures,  454.  Union  of  Christians,  456.  Future  state  of  hap- 
piness, 453,    Future  state  of  misery,  461. 


THE 


PHILOSOPHY   OF  RELIGION, 


»«©•-«« 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  objects  of  human  knowledge  may  be  reduced  to 
two  classes — the  relations  of  matter  and  the  relations  of 
mind ;  or,  in  other  words,  the  material  and  the  intellectual 
universe.  Of  these  two  departments  of  science,  the  intel- 
lectual universe  is,  in  many  respects,  the  most  interesting 
and  important.  For,  in  so  far  as  our  knowledge  and  re- 
searches extend,  it  appears  highly  probable,  if  not  abso- 
lutely certain,  that  the  material  universe  exists  solely  for 
the  sake  of  sentient  and  intelligent  beings — in  order  to  af- 
ford a  sensible  manifestation  of  the  attributes  of  the  Great 
First  Cause,  and  to  serve  as  a  vehicle  of  thought  and  a 
medium  of  enjoyment  to  subordinate  intelligences.  So 
intinidt^jly  related,  however,  are  these  two  objects  of  hu- 
man investigation,  that  a  knowledge  of  the  one  cannot  be 
obtained  but  through  the  medium  of  the  other.  The  ope- 
rations of  mind  cannot  be  carried  on  without  the  interven- 
tion of  external  objects  ;  for  if  the  material  universe  had 
never  existed,  we  could  never  have  prosecuted  a  train  of 
thought  ;*    and  the   beauties    and  sublimities  of  external 


*  The  whole  train  of  ideas  which  passes  through  our  minds  on  any 
subject  may  be  considered  as  the  images  of  external  objects  variously 
'modified  and  combined.  These  images  we  receive  through  the  mo- 
dium  of  our  senses,  by  which  we  hold  a  communication  with  the  ma- 
terial world.  All  our  ideas  of  God,  and  of  the  objects  of  religion,  are 
derived  from  the  same  source.  The  illustrations  of  the  attributes  of 
thy  D.ntv,  and  of  his  moral  administration,  contained  in  Scripture,  are 
2 


18  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

nature  can  be  perceived  only  by  thinking  beings,  without 
the  existence  of  which,  the  material  universe  would  re- 
main like  a  mighty  blank,  and  might  be  said  to  have  been 
created  in  vain.  Hence  it  appears,  that,  previous  to  our 
inquiries  into  the  nature  and  relations  of  mind,  it  is  neces- 
sary, in  the  first  place,  to  study  the  phenomena  of  the 
material  world,  and  the  external  actions  of  all  those  per- 
cipient beings  with  which  it  is  peopled  ;  for  the  know- 
ledge of  the  facts  we  acquire  in  relation  to  these  objects 
must  form  the  ground-work  of  all  our  investigations. 

We  are  surrounded,  on  every  hand,  with  minds  of  va- 
rious descriptions,  which  evince  the  faculties  of  which 
they  are  possessed,  by  the  various  senses  and  active  pow- 
ers with  which  they  are  furnished.  These  minds  are  of 
various  gradations,  in  point  of  intellectual  capacity  and 
acumen,  from  Man  downwards  through  all  the  animated 
tribes  which  traverse  the  regions  of  earth,  air,  and  sea. 
We  have  the  strongest  reason  to  believe,  that  the  distant 
regions  of  the  material  world  are  also  replenished  with  in- 
tellectual beings,  of  various  orders,  in  which  there  may  be 
a  gradation  upwards,  in  the  scale  of  intellect  above  that  of 
man,  as  diversified  as  that  which  we  perceive  in  the  de- 
scending scale,  from  man  downwards  to  the  immaterial 
principle  which  animates  a  muscle,  a  snail,  or  a  microscopic 
animalcula.  When  we  consider  the  variety  of  original 
forms  and  of  intellectual  capacities  which  abounds  in  our 
terrestrial  system,  and  that  there  is  an  infinite  gap  in  the 
.scale  of  being  between  the  human  mind  and  the  Supreme 
Intelligence,  it  appears  quite  conformable  to  the  magnifi- 
cent harmony  of  the  universe,  and  to  the  wisdom  and  be- 
nevolence of  its  Almighty  Author,  to  suppose,  that  there 


derived  from  the  external  scenes  of  creation,  and  from  the  relations  of 
human  society  ;  consequently,  had  the  material  world  never  existed, 
ue  could  have  formed  no  conceptions  of  the  divine  perfections  similar 
to  those  which  we  now  entertain,  nor  have  prosecuted  a  train  of 
thought  on  any  other  subject  ;  for  the  material  universe  is  the  basis  of 
all  the  knowledge  we  have  hitherto  acquired,  or  can  acquire,  respect- 
ing? ourselves,  our  Creator,  or  other  intellifTcnces.  Any  person  who  i» 
'lisposcd  to  call  in  question  this  position,  must  bejprcpared  to  pointout, 
ilistinctly  and  specifically,  those  ideas  or  trains  of  thought  which  are 
not  derived  through  the  medium  of  the  external  senses,  and  from  tha 
oajects  on  which  they  are  exercised. 


INTRODUCTION.  19 

are  beings  within  the  range  of  his  dominions  as  far  superi- 
or to  man  in  the  comprehension  and  extent  of  mental  and 
corporeal  powers,  as  man  is,  in  these  respects,  superior  to 
the  most  despicable  insect ;  and  that  these  beings,  hi 
point  of  number,  may  exceed  all  human  calculation  and 
comprehension.  This  idea  is  corroborated  by  several  inti- 
mations contained  in  the  records  of  revelation,  where  we 
have  presented  to  our  view  a  class  of  intelligences,  endow- 
ed with  physical  energies,  powers  of  rapid  motion,  and  a 
grasp  of  intellect  incomparably  superior  to  those  which 
aje  possessed  by  any  of  the  beings  which  belong  to  our 
sublunary  system. 

To  contemplate  the  various  orders  of  intelligences  which 
people  the  material  universe,  and  the  relations  which  sub- 
sist among  them — the  arrangements  of  the  different  worlds 
to  which  they  respectively  belong — the  corporeal  vehicles 
by  which  they  hold  a  correspondence  with  the  material 
system — the  relation  in  which  they  stand  to  other  worlds 
and  beings,  from  which  they  are  separated  by  the  voids  of 
space — and  the  excursions  they  occasionally  make  to  differ- 
ent regions  of  that  vast  empire  of  which  they  form  a  part ; 
— to  trace  the  superior  intellectual  faculties  and  the  sensi- 
tive organs  with  which  they  are  endowed — the  profound 
investigations  they  have  made  into  the  economy  of  the 
universe — the  trains  of  thought  which  they  pursue,  and 
the  magnificent  objects  on  which  their  faculties  are 
employed — the  emotions  with  which  they  view  the  scenes 
and  transactions  of  such  a  world  as  ours — the  means  by 
which  they  have  been  carried  forward  in  the  career  of  mor- 
al and  intellectual  improvement — the  history  of  their  trans- 
actions since  the  period  at  which  they  were  brought  into 
existence — the  peculiar  dispensations  of  the  Creator,  and 
the  revolutions  that  may  have  taken  place  among  them — 
the  progressions  they  have  made  from  one  stage  of  im- 
provement to  another — the  views  they  have  acquired  of 
the  perfections  and  the  plans  of  their  Almighty  Sovereign 
— the  transporting  emotions  of  delight  which  pervade  all 
their  faculties — and  the  sublime  adorations  they  offer  up 
to  the  Fountain  of  all  their  felicity — would  consti- 
tute a  source  of  the  most  exquisite  gratification  to  every 
holy,  intelligent,  and  inquirmg  mind.     But,   since   we   are 


20  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RFLIGION. 

at  present  confined  to  a  small  corner  of  the  universe  of 
God,  and  surrounded  by  immeasurable  voids  of  space, 
which  intervene  between  our  habitation  and  the  celestial 
worlds,  through  which  no  human  power  can  enable  us  to 
penetrate,  we  must  remain  ignorant  of  the  nature  and 
economy  of  those  intellectual  beings,  till  our  souls  take 
their  flight  from  these  "tabernacles  of  clay,''  to  join  their 
kindred  spirits  in  the  invisible  world.  While  we  remain 
in  our  sublunary  mansion,  our  investigations  into  tlie  world 
of  mind  must,  therefore,  of  necessity,  be  confined  to  the 
nature  and  attributes  of  the  Uncreated  Spirit,  and  to  the 
faculties  of  our  own  minds  and  those  of  the  sensitive  be- 
ings with  which  we  are  surrounded.  These  faculties,  as 
they  constitute  the  instruments  by  which  all  our  knowl- 
edge, both  human  and  divine,  is  acquired,  have  employed 
the  attention  of  philosophers  in  every  age,  and  have  been 
the  theme  of  many  subtle  and  ingenuous  speculations  ;  and 
they,  doubtless,  form  an  interesting  subject  of  investiga- 
tion to  the  student  of  intellectual  science. 

But,  of  all  the  views  we  can  take  of  the  world  of  mind, 
the  moral  relations  of  intelligent  beings,  and  the  laws  found- 
ed on  these  relations,  are  topics  by  far  the  most  interest- 
ing and  important.  This  subject  may  be  treated  in  a  more 
definite  and  tangible  manner  than  the  theories  which  have 
been  formed  respecting  the  nature  and  operations  of  the 
intellectual  powers.  Illustrations,  level  to  every  capacity, 
and  which  come  home  to  every  one's  bosom,  may  be  de- 
rived both  from  reason  and  experience,  from  the  annals  of 
history,  and  the  records  of  revelation.  It  is  not  involved 
in  the  same  difiiculties  and  obscurity  which  have  perplex- 
ed the  philosophy  of  the  intellect  ;  and  there  are  certain 
principles  which  may  be  traced  in  relation  to  this  subject, 
which  apply  to  all  the  rational  intelligences  that  God  haj 
formed,  however  diversified  in  respect  of  the  regions  of  the 
universe  which  they  occupy,  and  in  the  extent  of  their  in- 
tellectual powers.  Above  all,  this  subject  is  more  inti- 
mately connected  with  the  present  and  future  happiness  of 
man  than  any  other  which  comes  within  the  range  of  hu- 
man investigation ;  and  therefore,  forms  a  prominent  and 
legitimate  branch  of  what  may  be  termed  "  The  Philoso- 
phy of  Religion." 

That  the  moral  relations  of  intelligent  minds,   and    the 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

temper  and  conduct  corresponding  with  these  relations,  are 
essentially  connected  with  the  happiness  of  every  rational 
agent,  might  be  made  to  appear  from  a  variety  of  cases,  in 
which  the  reversing  of  certain  moral  laws  or  principles 
would  inevitably  lead  to  disorder  and  misery.  1  shall  con- 
tent myself  with  stating  the  following  illustration  : — We 
dwell  in  an  obscure  corner  of  God's  empire  ;  but  the  light 
of  modern  science  has  shown  us,  that  worlds,  a  thousand 
times  larger  than  ours,  and  adorned  with  more  refulgent 
splendours,  exist  within  the  range  of  that  system  of  which 
we  form  a  part.  It  has  also  unfolded  to  our  view  other  sys- 
tems dispersed  throughout  the  voids  of  space,  at  immeasura- 
ble distances,  and  in  such  vast  profusion,  that  our  minds  are 
unable  to  grasp  their  number  and  their  magnitude.  Reason 
and  revelation  lead  us  to  conclude,  that  all  these  worlds 
and  systems  are  adorned  with  displays  of  divine  wis- 
dom, and  peopled  with  myriads  of  rational  inhabitants. 
The  human  mind,  after  it  has  received  notices  of  such  stu- 
pendous scenes,  naturally  longs  for  a  nearer  and  more  in- 
timate inspection  of  the  grandeur  and  economy  of  those 
distant  provinces  of  the  Creator's  empire ;  and  is  apt  to 
imagine,  that  it  would  never  weary,  but  would  feel  un- 
mingled  enjoyment,  while  it  winged  its  flight  from  one 
magnificent  scene  of  creation  to  another.  But,  although 
an  inhabitant  of  our  world  were  divested  of  the  quality  of 
gravitation,  endowed  with  powers  of  rapid  motion  ade- 
quate to  carry  him  along  "  to  the  suburbs  of  creation," 
and  permitted  by  his  Creator  to  survey  all  the  vvonders  of 
the  universe,  if  a  principle  of  love  and  kindly  aflection  to- 
wards fellow-intelligences  did  not  animate  his  mind,  if 
rage  and  revenge,  pride  and  ambition,  hatred  and  envy, 
were  incessantly  rankling  in  his  breast,  he  could  feel  no 
transporting  emotions,  nor  taste  the  sweets  of  true  enjoy- 
ment. The  vast  universe  through  which  he  roamed 
would  be  transformed  into  a  spacious  hell ;  its  beauties  and 
sublimities  could  not  prevent  misery  from  taking  posses- 
sion of  his  soul ;  and,  at  every  stage  of  his  excursion,  he 
could  not  fail  to  meet  with  the  indications  of  his  Creator's 
frown.  For  there  appears,  from  reason  and  experience, 
as  well  as  from  the  dictates  of  revelation,  an  absolute  im- 
possibility of  enjoying  happiness  so  long  as  malevolent  af- 
fections retain  their  ascendency  in  the  heart  of  a  moral  in- 
2* 


22  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

tplligence,  in  whatever  region  of  universal  nature  his  resi- 
dence may  be  found. 

Hence  we  may  learn,  that  the  highest  attainments  in 
science  to  which  any  one  can  arrive,  though  they  may  ex- 
pand the  range  of  his  intellectual  views,  will  not  ensure  to 
their  possessor  substantial  and  unmingled  enjoyment,  while 
his  heart  is  devoid  of  benevolent  affections,  and  while  he  is 
subjected  to  the  influence  of  degrading  and  immoral  pas- 
sions. If  it  be  possible  that  any  one  now  exists  in  the 
literary  world,  who  has  devoted  his  life  to  the  sublimesi 
investigations  of  science,  and  has  taken  the  most  exten- 
sive views  of  the  arrangements  of  the  material  world,  and 
yet,  who  remains  doubtful  as  to  the  existence  of  a  Su- 
preme Intelligence,  and  of  an  eternal  state  of  destination  ; 
who  is  elated  with  pride  at  the  splendour  of  his  scientific 
acquirements  ;  who  treats  his  equals  with  a  spirit  of  arro- 
gance ;  who  looks  down  with  a  haughty  and  sullen  scowl 
on  the  inferior  ranks  of  his  fellow-men  ;  who  is  haughty, 
overbearing,  and  revengeful  in  his  general  deportment,  and 
who  is  altogether  indifferent  as  to  the  moral  principles  he 
displays, — I  would  envy  neither  his  happiness  nor  his  in- 
tellectual attainments.  He  can  enjoy  none  of  those  de- 
lightful emotions  which  flow  from  the  exercise  of  Chris- 
tian benevolence,  nor  any  of  those  consolations  which  the 
good  man  feels  amidst  the  various  ills  of  life ;  and,  beyond 
the  short  span  of  mortal  existence,  he  can  look  forward  to 
no  brighter  displays  of  the  grandeur  of  the  material  aiid 
intellectual  universe,  but  to  an  eternal  dej)rivation  of  hir* 
powers  of  intelligence  in  the  shades  of  annihilation. 

It  must,  therefore,  be  a  matter  deeply  interesting  to 
every  intelligent  agent,  to  acquire  correct  notions  of  the 
fundamental  principles  of  moral  action,  and  to  form  those 
habits  which  will  fit  him  for  the  enjoyment  of  true  felicity, 
to  whatever  region  of  the  universe  he  may  afterwards  be-* 
transported. — In  the  illustration  of  this  subject,  I  shall  pur- 
sue a  train  of  thought  which,  I  am  not  aware,  has  been 
prosecuted  by  any  previous  writers  on  the  subject  of  nuj- 
rality,  and  shall  endeavour  to  confirm  and  illustrate  tiie 
yiews  which  may  be  exhibited,  by  an  appeal  to  the  db-.cc;- 
verics  of  revelation. 

We  have  an  abundance  of  ponderous  volumes  on  the 
subject  of  moral  philosophy;  but   the    diil'erent  theoriea 


INTRODUCTION.  23 

which  have  been  proposed  and  discussed,   and  the  meta- 
physical mode   in  which   the    subject  has   generally  been 
treated,  have  seldom  led  to  any  beneficial  practical  results. 
To  attempt  to  treat  the  subject  of  morals  without  a  refe- 
rence to  divine  revelation,  as  most  of  our  celebrated  moral 
writers   have  done,  seems  to  be  little  short  of    egregious 
trifling.     It  cannot  serve  the   purpose  of  an   ex-periment^  to 
ascertain  how  far  the  unassisted  faculties  of  man  can  go  in 
acquiring  a  knowledge  of  the  foundation  and  the  rules  of 
moral  action  ;  for,    the  prominent  principles  of  Christaia 
morality  are  so  interwoven  into  the   opinions,  intercourses, 
and  practices  of  modern  civilized  society,  and  so  familiar 
to  the  mind  of  every  man  who  has  been   educated  in    a 
Christian  land,  that  it  is  impossible  to  eradicate  the  idea  of 
ihem  from  the  mJnd,  when  it  attempts  to  trace  the  duty  of 
man  solely  on  the  principles  of  reason.     When   the  true 
principles  of  morality  are  once  communicated    through  the 
medium  of  revelation,  reason  can  demonstrate  their  utility, 
and  their  conformity  to  the  character  of  God,  to  the  order 
of  the  universe,  and  to  the  relations  which  subsist   among 
intelligent  agents.     But  we  are  by  no  means  in  a  situation 
to    determine   whether   they   could  ever  have  been   dis- 
covered by  the  investigations   and  efforts  of  the  unassisted 
powers  of  the  human  mind.     The  only  persons  who  could 
fairly  try  such  an  experiment  were  the  Greeks   and  Ro- 
mans, and  other  civilized  nations,  in  ancient  times,  to  whom 
the  light  of  revelation  was    not  imparted.     And  what  was 
the  result  of  all  their  researches  on  this  most  important  of 
all   subjects  ?  What  were  the  practical  eflects  of  all   the 
fine-spun  theories  and  subtle  speculations  which  originated 
in  the  schools  of  ancient  philosophy,  under  the  tuition  of 
Plato  and   Socrates,  of  Aristotle  and  Zeno  ?  The  result  is 
lecorded  in  the  annals  of  history,  and   in  the  writings   of 
the  apostles.     "They  became  vain  in  their  imaginations, 
and  their  foolish  hearts  w^ere  darkened.     '^I'hey  were  filled 
with    all    unrighteousness,  fornication,  wickedness,  covet- 
ousness,  maliciousness,   envy,  murder,    deceit,  malignity ; 
ihey  were  backbiters,  haters  of  God,  despiteful,   proud,  in- 
ventors of  evil  things,  disobedient  to  parents,  without  na- 
tural affedion,  in»p['«icable   and  unmerciful."     Their  gen- 
eral conduct  was  characterized  by  pride,    lasciviousness, 
aad  revenge ;  they  indulged  in  the  commission  of  unnat- 


24  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

ural  crimes  ;  they  were  actuated  by  restless  ambition,  and 
they  gloried  in  covering  the  earth  with  devastation  and 
carnage. 

It  is  true,  indeed,  that  some  of  the  sects  of  phiiosophei  s 
propounded  several  maxims  and  moral  precepts,  the  pro- 
priety of  which  cannot  be  questioned  ;  but  none  of  them 
could  agree  respecting  either  the  foundation  of  virtue, 
or  the  ultimate  object  toward  which  it  should  be  directed, 
or  that  in  which  the  chief  happiness  of  man  consists ; 
and  hence  it  happened,  that  the  precepts  delivered  by  the 
teachers  of  philosophy  had  little  influence  on  their  own 
conduct,  and  far  less  on  that  of  the  unthinking  multitude. 
Where  do  we  find,  in  any  of  the  philosophical  schools  of 
Greece  and  Rome,  a  recommendation  of  such  precepts  as 
these,  "  Love  your  enemies  ;  do  good  to  them  who  hate 
you  ;  and  pray  for  them  who  despitefully  use  you  and  per- 
secute you?"  In  opposition  to  such  divine  injunctions, 
we  can  trace,  in  the  maxims  and  conduct  of  the  ancient 
sages,  a  principle  of  pride  insinuating  itself  into  the  train 
of  their  most  virtuous  actions.  It  has  been  reckoned  by 
some  a  wise  and  a  witty  answer  which  one  of  the  philos- 
ophers returned  to  his  friend,  who  had  advised  him  to 
revenge  an  injury  he  had  suffered  ;  "  What  (says  he),  if 
an  ass  kicks  me,  must  I  needs  kick  him  again '.'"  ISome 
may  be  disposed  to  consider  such  a  reply  as  indicating  a 
manly  spirit  and  true  greatness  of  soul ;  but  it  carries  in 
it  a  proud  and  supercihous  contempt  of  human  nature, 
and  a  haughtiness  of  mind  which  are  altogether  inconsist- 
ent with  the  mild  and  benevolent  precepts  of  Him  who, 
in  the  midst  of  his  severest  sufferings  from  men,  exclaim- 
ed "  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do." 

It  appears  somewhat  preposterous  to  waste  our  time, 
and  the  energies  of  otir  minds,  in  laboured  metaphysical 
disquisitions,  to  ascertain  the  foundations  of  virtue,  and 
the  motives  from  which  it  is  to  be  pursued  ;  whether  it 
consists  in  utility^  in  ihe  fitness  of  iJiings,  or  in  the  regula- 
tions of  states  and  political  associations,  and  whether  it  is 
to  be  prosecuted  from  a  principle  of  self-love  or  of  benev- 
olence, when  every  useful  question  that  can  be  started  on 
this  subject  may  be  immediately  solved  by  a  direct  apph- 
cation  to  the  revelations  of  heaven,  and  an  infallible  rule 


INTRODUCTION.  25 

derived  for  the  direction  of  our  conduct  in  all  the  circum- 
stances and  relations  in  which  we  may  be  placed.  Even 
although  the  moral  philosopher  were  to  reject  the  Bible 
as  a  revelation  from  God,  it  would  form  no  reason  why  its 
annunciations  should  be  altogether  overlooked  or  rejected. 
As  an  impartial  investigator  of  the  history  of  man,  of 
the  moral  constitution  of  the  human  mind,  and  of  the 
circumstances  of  our  present  condition,  he  is  bound  to 
take  into  view  every  fact  and  every  circumstance  which 
may  have  a  bearing  on  the  important  question  which  he 
undertakes  to  decide.  Now,  it  is  a  fact,  that  such  a  book 
as  the  Bible  actually  exists — that,  amidst  the  wreck  of 
thousands  of  volumes  which  the  stream  of  time  has  car- 
ried into  oblivion,  it  has  survived  for  several  thousands  of 
years — that  its  announcements  have  directed  the  opinions 
and  the  conduct  of  myriads  of  mankind — that  many  of 
the  most  illustrious  characters  that  have  adorned  our 
race  have  submitted  to  its  dictates,  and  governed  their 
tempers  and  their  actions  by  its  moral  precepts — that  those 
who  have  been  governed  by  its  maxims  have  been  distin- 
guished by  uprightness  of  conduct,  and  been  most  earnest 
and  successful  in  promoting  the  happiness  of  mankind 
— that  this  book  declares,  that  a  moral  revulsion  has 
taken  place  in  the  constitution  of  man  since  he  was  placed 
upon  this  globe — and  that  the  whole  train  of  its  moral 
precepts  proceeds  on  the  ground  of  his  being  considered 
as  a  depraved  intelligence.  These  are  facts  which  even 
the  infidel  philosopher  must  admit ;  and,  instead  of  throw- 
ing them  into  the  shade,  or  keeping  them  entirely  out  of 
view,  he  is  bound,  as  an  unbiassed  inquirer,  to  take  thera 
all  into  account  in  his  researches  into  the  moral  economy 
of  the  human  race.  In  particular,  he  is  bound  to  inquire 
into  the  probability  of  the  alleged  fact  of  the  depravity  of 
man,  and  to  consider,  whether  the  general  train  of  human 
actions,  the  leading  facts  of  history  in  reference  to  all  ages 
and  nations,  and  the  destructive  effects  of  several  opera- 
tions in  the  system  of  nature,  have  not  a  tendency  to  cor- 
roborate this  important  point.  For  the  fact,  that  man  is 
a  fallen  intelligence,  must  materially  modify  every  system 
of  ethics  that  takes  it  into  account.  Should  this  fact  be 
entirely  overlooked,  and  yet  ultimately  be  found  to  rest  on 
a  solid  foundation,  then,  all  the  speculations   and  theories 


26  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

of  those  moralists  who  profess  to  be  guided  solely  by  the 
dictates  of  unassisted  reason,  may  prove  to  be  nothing 
more  than  the  reveries  of  a  vain  imagination,  and  to  be 
built  on  '♦  the  baseless  fabric  of  a  vision." 


CHAPTER  I. 


ON    THE    MORAL     RELATIONS     OF    INTELLIGENT     BEINGS    TO 
THEIR    CREATOR. 


SECTION   I. 

On  the  primary  or  most  general  idea  of  Morality. 

I  CONCEIVE,  that  the  first  or  most  general  idea  of  Mo- 
rality is,  Order, — or,  that  harmonious  disposition  and  ar- 
rangement of  intelligent  beings,  which  is  founded  on  the 
nature  of  things,  and  which  tends  to  produce  the  greatest 
sum  of  happiness. 

Physical  Order,  or  the  order  of  the  material  universe,  iif 
that  by  which  every  part  is  made  to  harmonize  to  the 
other  part,  and  all  individually  to  the  whole  collectively- 
Thus,  the  adaptation  of  light  to  the  eye,  and  of  the  eye  to 
light ;  the  adaptation  of  the  structure  of  the  ear,  and  of  the 
lungs  to  the  constitution  of  the  atmosphere,  and  its  various 
undulations ;  the  adaptation  of  the  waters,  the  vegetable 
productions  of  the  field,  the  minerals  in  the  bowels  of  the 
earth,  the  colours  produced  by  the  solar  rays,  and  all  the 
other  parts  and  agencies  of  external  nature,  to  the  wants 
and  the  happiness  of  sentient  beings  ;  the  adaptation  of  day 
and  night  to  the  labour  and  rest  appointed  for  man  ;  and 
the  regularity  of  the  motions  of  the  planetary  bodies  in 
their  circuits  round  the  sun — constitute  the  physical  or- 
der, or  harmony  of  the  visible  world  ;  and  it  is  this  which 
constitutes  its  principal  beauty,  and  which  evinces  the 
wisdom  of  its  Almighty  Author. 

Moral  Order  is  the  harmony  of  intelligent  beings  in  re- 
spect to  one  another,  and  to  their  Creator,  and  is  founded 
upon  those  relations  in  which  they  respectively  stand  to 
each  other. — Thus,  Reverence,  Adoration,  and  Gratitude, 
from  creatures,  correspond  or  harmonize  with  the  idea  of  a 


28  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

self-existent,  omnipotent  and  benevolent  Being,  on  whom 
they  depend,  and  from  whom  they  derive  every  enjoy- 
ment,— and  love,  and  good-will,  and  a  desire  to  promote 
each  other's  happiness,  harmonize  with  the  idea  of  intelli- 
gences of  the  same  species  mingling  together  in  social  in- 
tercourses. For,  it  will  at  once  be  admitted,  that  affec- 
tions directly  opposite  to  these,  and  universally  prevalent, 
would  tend  to  destroy  the  moral  harmony  of  the  intelli- 
gent universe,  and  to  introduce  anarchy  and  confusion,  and 
consequently  misery  among  all  the  rational  inhabitants  of 
the  material  world. 

The  following  brief  illustration,  by  way  of  contrast,  may, 
perhaps,  have  a  tendency  more  particularly  to  impress 
the  mind  with  the  idea  of  order  intended  to  be  conveyed 
in  the  above  stated  definitions. 

Suppose  the  principle  which  unites  the  planetary  globes 
in  one  harmonious  system,  to  be  dissolved,  and  the  plan- 
ets to  run  lawlessly  through  the  sky — suppose  the  planet 
Jupiter  to  forsake  his  orbit,  and,  in  his  course  to  the  dis- 
tant regions  of  space,  to  impinge  against  the  planet  Saturn, 
and  to  convulse  the  solid  crust  of  that  globe  from  its  sur- 
face to  its  centre,  to  disarrange  the  order  of  its  satellites, 
to  shatter  its  rings  into  pieces,  and  to  carry  the  fragments 
of  them  along  with  him  in  his  lawless  career, — suppose 
the  sun  to  attract  his  nearest  planets  to  his  surface  with  a 
force  that  would  shake  them  to  their  centres,  and  dissolve 
their  present  constitution, — suppose  the  moon  to  fly  from 
her  orbit,  and  rush  towards  the  planet  Venus, — the  earth 
to  be  divested  of  its  atmosphere,  the  foundations  of  its 
mountains  to  be  overturned,  and  to  be  hurled  into  the 
plains,  and  into  the  ocean  ;  its  seas  and  rivers  to  forsake 
their  ancient  cliannels,  and  to  overflov/  the  land,  and  its 
human  inhabitants,  swept  promiscuously  along  with  the 
inferior  animals,  into  dens,  and  caves,  and  crevices  of  the 
earth,  and  into  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  : — in  such  a  scene, 
we  should  have  presented  to  our  view  a  specimen  of  phys- 
ical confusion  and  disorder ;  and  it  would  form  an  impres- 
sive emblem  of  the  state  of  rational  beings,  whose  moral 
order  is  completely  subverted. 

Again,  suppose  the  rational  inhabitants  of  our  globe  to 
be  universally  set  against  each  other,  in  order  to  accom- 
plish their  misery  and   destruction — suppose  the  child  ris- 


GENERAL    IDEA    OF    MORALITY.  29 

incr  in  opposition  to  his  parents,   the  wife  plotting  the  de- 
struction of  her  husband,  the  brother  ensnaring  his  sister, 
and  decoying   her  to  ruin, — teachers  of   all  descriptions 
inculcating  the  arts  of  deception,  of  revenge,  and  of  destruc- 
tion, and  representing  every  principle  and  fact  as  contrary  to 
what  it  really  is — falsehoods  of  every  description  industriously 
forged  and  circulated  as  facts  through  every  rank  of  socie- 
ty''— rulers  setting  themselves  in  opposition  to  the  populace, 
and   plotting   their     destruction,    while    they    are   at   the 
same     time    actuated   by   a  principle   of  pride,    of  envy 
and  malice  against  each  other — the  populace  setting  them- 
selves in  opposition  to  their  rulers,  exterminating  them  from 
the    earth,  subverting  every  principle  of  law  and  order, 
gratifying,  without  control,  every  principle  of  revenge,  av- 
arice, lasciviousness  and  sensual  indulgence,  and    enjoying 
a  diabolical  satisfaction  in  contemplating  the  scenes  of  mis- 
ery they  have  created  : — in  short,  every  one  beholding  in 
his  neighbour  the  malevolence  of  a  fiend  armed  with  instru- 
ments of  destruction,  and  devising  schemes  to   secure   his 
misery  and  ruin.     Suppose  the  lower    animals,    impelled 
by  revenge,  to  rise  up  in  indignation  against  man,  and  to 
swell  the  horrors  of  this  general  anarchy — suppose  the  su- 
perior orders  of  intelligences   to  mingle  in  this  scene   of 
confusion,  to  exert  their  high  physical  and  intellectual  pow- 
ers in  adding  fuel  to  these  malevolent  principles  and  opera- 
tions,  and  in  attempting   to  drag  other  intelligences  of  a 
still  higher  order  from  their  seats  of  bliss — suppose  all  these 
intelligences    actuated   by   an  implacable  hatred  of  their 
Creator,  combined  to  deface  the  beauties  of  ihe  material  cre- 
ation, and  then  to  engage  in  a  war  of  universal  extermination 
throughout  the  whole  intelligent  system  in  every  region  of 
the  universe :  such  a  state  of  things,  if  it  could  exist  in  the 
universe,    would  form  a  perfect  contrast  to  moral  order  ; 
it  would  present  a  scene  in  which  existence  could  not  be 
desirable  to  any  intelligent  mind,  and  in  which  happiness 
.could  not  possibly  be  enjoyed  by  any  rational  being,  but 
by  Him  w^ho  .is  eternally  happy  independently  of  his  crea- 
tures.    Moral     order,    then,    is    completely    opposed   to 
such   a    state  of  things  as  has  now  been  represented ;  it 
consists  in  every  being  holding  its  proper  station  in  the 
universe,    acting   according   to  the  nature  of  that  station, 
and  using  its  powers    and   faculties   for  the  purposes  for 
3 


30  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

whicli  ihey  were  originally  intended  ;  and  the  grand  ob- 
ject intended  to  be  accomplished  by  this  order,  is,  the  hap- 
piness of  the  wliolc, — without  which  misery  would  reign 
uncontrolled  throughout  all  the  ranks  of  intelligent  exist- 
ence. 

This  state  of  the  moral  world  is  most  frequently  desig- 
nated in  Scripture  by  the  term  holiness.  Of  the  ideas  in- 
cluded under  this  term,  and  several  of  its  kindred  epithets, 
very  vague  and  imperfect  conceptions  are  frequently  en- 
tertained. Its  leading  or  generic  idea,  from  what  has 
been  now  stated,  will  evidently  appear  to  be,  a  conformity 
to  order,  founded  on  the  relations  of  intelligent  beings  to 
each  other  ;  or,  in  other  words,  it  consists  in  a  complete 
conibrmity  to  the  law  of  God,  (which  is  founded  on  those 
relations)  including  both  the  action  and  the  pri7iciph  from 
which  it  flows.  In  reference  to  created  beings,  holiness 
may,  therefore,  be  defined  to  be,  a  conformity  to  the  moral 
order  of  the  U7iiverse, — and,  in  relation  to  the  Creator,  it  is, 
that  peifcction  of  Ids  nature,  which  leads  him  to  promote  the 
moral  order  and  happiness  of  intelligent  beings,  and  to  coun- 
teract every  thing  which  stands  in  opposition  to  this  object. 

That  the  leading  ideas  and  definitions  now  stated  are 
correct,  will,  perhaps,  more  distinctly  appear  in  the  course 
of  the  following  discussions  and  illustrations ;  but  should 
any  one  be  disposed  to  call  in  question  the  statements  now 
given  in  reference  to  the  primary  idea  of  morality,  his  dif- 
ference of  opinion  on  tliis  point  will  not  materially  afiect 
llie  leading  train  of  sentiment  prosecuted  in  the  further  elu- 
cidation of  this  subject. 


SECTION  II. 

On  the  Fundimcntal  Principles  of  Morality. 

The  leading  idea  of  morality  or  holiness,  as  now  stated, 
resolves  itself  into  the  two  following  principles — love  to 
God  the  Creator,  and,  love  to  fellow  intcUi<rences.  These 
are  the  two  grand  springs  on  which  the  whole  moral  ma- 
chine of  the  universe  depends.  All  the  diversified  actions 
by  which   happiaess  is  diffused  among  intelligent  agents, 


PRINCIPLES    OF    MORALITY.  31 

sre  only  so  many  ramifications  of  these  two  simple  an(i 
siublime  principles,  which  connect  all  holy  beings  throiiffh- 
oiit  the  wide  empire  of  God,  in  one  harmonious  nnion. 
This  we  are  not  left  to  infer  merely  from  the  natnre  of 
things,  but  have  the  authority  of  the  supreme  Legislator, 
as  our  w^arrant  for  placing  these  principles  as  the  founda- 
tion of  all  moral  virtue  among  every  class  of  moral  agents. 
For  thus  saith  our  Saviour  :  "  Thou  shalt  love  thi; 
Lord  thy  God  w^ith  all  thy  heart,  and  with    all 

THY      MIND,    AND    W^ITH    ALL  THY    STRENGTH.        Tkis  is  the 

first  and  great  commandment.  And  the  second  is  like  unto  it  : 
Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself.  On 
these  two  commandments  hang  all  the' law  and  the  prophets.'''' 

These  principles,  now  that  they  are  communicated,  and 
sanctioned  by  divine  authority,  appear  quite  accordant  to 
the  dictates  of  enlightened  reason,  and  calculated  to  pro- 
mote the  happiness  of  the  intelligent  creation ;  yet  we 
never  find  that  the  moral  systems  of  pagan  philosophers, 
in  any  country,  were  built  on  this  foundation,  or  that 
they  assumed  them  as  indispensable  axioms  to  guide  them 
in  their  speculations  on  the  subject  of  ethics. 

In  elucidating  this  topic,  I  shall  endeavour  to  show  th^ 
reasonableness  and  the  utility  of  these  principles  of 
moral  action,  from  a  consideration  of  the  nature  of-  God, 
and  the  relations  in  which  intelligent  beings  stand  to  him 
as  the  source  of  their  existence  and  felicitv — from  the  na- 
ture of  subordinate  intelligences,  and  the  relations  in  whicii 
they  stand  to  one  another — from  the  misery  which  nuist 
inevitably  follow,  where  such  principles  are  violated  or  re- 
versed— from  the  happiness  that  would  necessarily  flow 
from  their  full  operation — and,  lastly,  that  they  apply  to 
the  circumstances  of  all  created  intelligences  wherever 
existing,  throughout  the  boundless  universe. — I  have  used 
the  plural  term  prhiciplcs,  to  express* the  foundation  of  mo- 
ral action,  because  our  Saviour  has  arranged  them  under 
two  distinct  heads,  in  the  passage  just  now  quoted  ;  but, 
.strictly  speaking,  there  is  but  o/ie  principle,  namely.  Love, 
which  divides  itself,  as  it  were,  into  two  great  streams,  onr 
directing  its  course  towards  the  supreme  Source  of  all  fe- 
licity, and  the  other  towards  all  the  subordinate  intelligeii- 
rc-es  He  has  created. 


32  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 


First  Principle — Love  to  God. 

Love,  considered  in  reference  to  the  Supreme  Being, 
may  be  viewed  as  dividin<r  itself  into  a  varietj^  of  streams 
or  kindred  emotions,  all  flowing  from  one  source.  The 
most  prominent  of  these  emotions  are  the  following — Ad- 
miration^ which  consists  in  a  delightful  emotion,  arising 
from  a  contemplation  of  the  wonderful  works  of  God,  and 
of  the  wisdom  and  goodness  which  they  unfold — Rever- 
ence^ which  is  nearly  allied  to  admiration,  is  a  solemn  emo- 
tion, mingled  with  awe  and  delight,  excited  in  the  mind, 
when  it  contemplates  the  perfections,  and  the  grand  ope- 
rations of  the  Eternal  Mind — Gratitude,  which  consists  in 
affection  to  the  Supreme  Being,  on  account  of  the  various 
benefits  he  has  conferred  upon  us — Humilityy  which  con- 
sists in  a  just  sense  of  our  own  character  and  condition,  es- 
pecially when  we  compare  ourselves  with  the  purity  and 
perfection  of  the  Divine  character.  To  these  emotions 
may  be  added.  Complacency  and  delight  in  the  character 
and  operations  of  God — Adoration  of  his  excellences, 
and  an  unlimited  Dependence  upon  him  in  reference  to  our 
present  concerns,  and  to  our  future  destination.  I  have 
stated  these  different  modifications  of  the  first  principle  of 
morality,  because,  in  the  following  illustrations,  they  may 
all  occasionally  be  taken  into  account,  when  an  allusion 
is  made  to  the  affections,  which  the  character  and  opera- 
tions of  the  divine  Being  have  a  tendency  to  excite. 

Love  is  that  noble  alTection  which  is  excited  by  amiable 
objects ;  and,  therefore,  in  order  to  its  being  rational,  per- 
manent, and  delightful,  it  must  be  founded,  on  the  percep- 
tion of  certain  amiable  qualities  or  attributes  connected 
with  its  object.  In  order  to  demonstrate  the  reasonable- 
ness of  this  affection  in  reference  to  God,  it  is  only  requi- 
site to  consider  his  character  and  perfections,  and  the  re- 
lation in  which  he  stands  to  us  as  the  Author  of  our  exist- 
ence and  enjoyments.  But,  as  a  comprehensive  view  of 
tliis  subject  would  require  volumes  for  its  illustration,  I 
shall  confme  myself  to  the  illustration  of  only  two  or  three 
lineaments  of  the  Divine  character. 


WHNIPOTENCE    OF    GOD.  33 

SECTION  III. 

On  the  Omnipotence  of  God. 

We  naturally  venerate  and  admire  a  character  in  winch 
physical  energy  is  combined  with  high  intellectual   pow- 
ers, when  these  powers  are  uniformly  exerted  in  the  coun- 
teraction of  vice  and  misery,  and  in  the   promotion  of  hap- 
piness.    On    this    ground,    the    Omnipotence    of    God    ii;? 
calculated  to  effect  the  mind  with  that  particular  modifiicji- 
tion  of  love,  which  is  designated  by   the  term   Reverence. 
Were  it  possible  that  any  human  being  could   construct  a 
machine,  by  means  of  which,  in  combination  with  his  own 
physical  powers,  he  could   transport  himself  and  his  tre.i- 
8ures,  from  one  region  of  the  globe  to  another,  at  the  rair' 
of  200  miles  in  an  hour,  and  were  he,  at  the  same  time,  to 
devote  his  treasures,  and  his  moral  and  intellectual  energies 
to  the  improvement  and  melioration    of  the   various  tribes 
of  mankind  in   every   clime,    through   which   he   passed, 
such  an  object  could   not  fail  of  exciting   in   our  minds  a 
sentiment  of  admiration  and  reverence.     Were  one  of  the 
highest  orders  of  created  intelligences  to  descend   from  iiis 
celestial  mansion,  and    to    display  himself  to  our  view  in 
all   the   bright  radiance  of  his   native    heaven — were   he 
to  take  his  station  over  the  regions  of  Thibet  or  Hindostaii. 
and,   after  having   excited   the    attention   of  a  wondering 
populace,  were  he  to  detach  the  huge  masses  of  the  Ilimrt- 
laya  mountains    from  their  foundations,  and  toss  them  mto 
the  depths  of  the  Indian  Ocean,   and,   in  the  course  of  a 
few  hours,  transform  the  barren  wastes  of  that  dreary  re- 
gion into  a  scene  of  beauty  and  luxuriant  vegetation,  and 
cause  splendid  cities  to  arise,  Vv'here  formerly  nothing  was 
presented  to  the  view  but  a  bleak  and  frightful  wilderness 
— at  such  a  display  of  physical  power,  combined  with  bene- 
volent design,  we  could  not  withhold  a  feeling  of  awe,  aod 
a  sentiment  of  reverence,  almost  approaching  to  religious 
adoration. 


34  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

If,  then,  the  contemplation  of  physical  and  mental  en- 
ergies, with  which  even  created  beings  may  possibly  be 
invested,  would  exciie  our  admiration  and  reverence, 
what  powerful  emotions  of  this  description  must  the  en- 
ergies of  the  Uncreated  Mind  be  calculated  to  produce, 
when  they  are  contemplated  by  the  eye  of  enlightened 
reason,  and  in  the  light  of  Divine  Revelation  !  When  this 
huge  globe  on  which  we  dwell  existed  in  the  state  of  a 
shapeless  and  unformed  mass  ;  when  land,  and  water,  and 
air,  were  blended  in  wild  confusion,  and  Chaos  and  Dark- 
ness extended  their  dominion  over  all  its  gloomy  regions, 
at  His  command  "  light  sprung  out  of  darkness,  and  or- 
der out  of  confusion  ;''  the  mountains  reared  their  pro- 
jecting summits,  the  valleys  were  depressed,  the  caverns 
of  the  oceean  were  hollowed  out,  and  the  waters  retired  to 
the  places  which  He  had  appointed  for  them.  The  fields 
were  clothed  with  luxuriant  verdure  ;  Eden  appeared  in 
all  its  beauty;  the  inferior  tribes  of  animated  existence 
took  possession  of  the  air,  the  waters,  and  the  earth,  and 
man  was  formed  in  the  image  of  his  Maker,  to  complete 
this  wondrous  scene.  At  this  period,  too,  the  earth  re- 
ceived such  a  powerful  impulse  from  the  hand  of  its  Cre- 
ator, as  has  carried  it  along  through  the  voids  of  space, 
with  all  its  furniture  and  inhabitants,  in  the  most  rapid 
career,  for  six  thousand  years  ;  having  already  moved 
through  a  space  of  3,480,000,000,000  miles,  and  will  still 
continue  its  unremitting  course  for  thousands  of  years  to 
come,  till  the  '*  mystery  of  Providence  be  finished." 

Wouhl  we  be  struck  with  admiration  and  astonishment, 
at  beholding  a  superior  created  intelligence  tossing  a  moun- 
tain into  the  sea  1  What  strong  emotions  of  reverence  and 
awe,  then,  ought  to  pervade  our  minds,  when  we  be- 
hold the  Almighty  every  moment  producing  effects  in- 
finitely more  powerful  and  astonishing  !  What  would 
be  our  astonishment,  were  we  to  behold,  from  a  dis- 
tance, a  globe  as  large  as  the  earth  tossed  from  the  hand  of 
Omnipotence,  and  flying  at  the  rate  of  a  thousand  miles 
every  minute  !  Yet  this  is  nothing  more  than  what  is  every 
day  produced  by  the  unceasing  energies  of  that  Power 
which    first    called    us  into    existence.     That    impulse 


OMNIPOTENCE    OF    GOD.  35 

which  was  first  given  to  the   earth  at  its   creation  is  still 
continued,  by  which  it  is  carried  round  every   day  from 
west  to  east,  along  with   its   vast  population,  and  at  the 
same  time  impelled  forward  through  the  regions  of  space 
at  the  rate  of  sixty-eight  thousand  miles  in  an  hour.     Nor 
is  this  among  the  most  wonderful  effects  of  divine  power  : 
it  is  only  one   comparatively  small  specimen  of  that  om- 
nipotent   energy    w^hich    resides    in   the    Eternal    Mind. 
When  we  lift  our  eyes  towards  the  sky,  we  behold   bodies 
a  thousand   times  laiger  than  this  world  of  ours,  impelled 
with  similar  velocities  through  the  mighty  expanse  of  the 
universe.     We  behold  the  planetary  globes   wheeling  their 
rapid  courses  around  the  sun,  with  unremitting  velocity — 
the   comets  returning  from  their  long  excursions   in   the 
distant  regions  of  space,   and  flying  towards  the  centre  of 
our  system  with   a  velocity  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
miles  an   hour — the   sun  himself  impelled  towards   some 
distant  region  of  space,  and  carrying   along  with   him  all 
his  attendant  planets — and,  in  a  word,  we  have  the  strong- 
est  reason  to  conclude,    that   all   the   vast  systems  of  the 
universe,  which  are  more  numerous  than  language  can  ex- 
press, are  in  rapid  and  incessant   motion  around  the  throne 
of  the  Eternal,  carrying  forward  the  grand  designs  of  in- 
finite wisdom  which  they  were  destined  to  accomplish.* 

It  must,  hov/ever,  be  admitted,  that  the  manifestation 
of  power,  or  great  physical  energy,  abstractly  considered, 
is  not  of  itself  calculated  to  produce  that  emotion  of  re- 
verence which  flows  from  love,  unless  tlie  being  in  whom 
it  resides  exerts  it  for  the  purposes  of  benevolence.  A 
superior  being,  endowed  with  great  physical  and  intellec- 
tual energies,  which  were  exerted  solely  for  the  purpose 
of  destruction,  could  inspire  no  feelings  but  those  of 
dread  and  alarm ;  and  were  it  possible  to  conceive  an 
Omnipotent  being  divested  of  the  attribute  of  benevolence, 
or  possessed  of  a  capricious  character,  he  would  form,  the 
most  terrible  object  which  the  human  mind  could  contem- 
plate. But  the  attribute  of  infinite  power,  when  conjoin- 
ed with  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness,   conveys  an  idea 


♦  See  a  more  comprehensive  ilkistration  of  tliis  subject  in  "  The 
Christian  Phiiosopher,"  3d  edition,  pp.  43 — 83. 


36  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

the  most  glorious  and  transporting.  Every  display  of 
divine  power  to  which  I  have  now  alluded,  has  the  com- 
munication of"  happiness  for  its  ohject.  The  motion  of 
the  earth  around  its  axis  every  twenty-four  hours,  is  in- 
tended to  distribute  light  and  darkness,  in  regular  propor- 
tions, to  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth',"  and  to  correspond 
to  the  labour  and  rest  appointed  for  man.  It  produces  a 
variety  which  is  highly  gratifying  to  the  rational  mind  ; 
for,  while  our  fellow-men  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
globe  are  enjoying  the  splendors  of  the  noonday  sun, 
the  shades  of  night,  which  at  that  time  envelope  our 
hemisphere,  are  the  means  of  disclosing  to  our  view  the 
magnificent  glories  of  the  starry  frame.  Were  this  jnotion 
to  cease,  this  world  and  all  its  inhabitants  would  be  thrown 
into  a  state  of  confusion  and  misery.  While  the  inhabi- 
tants of  one  hemisphere  enjoyed  the  splendours  of  per- 
petual day,  the  glories  of  the  nocturnal  heavens  would  be 
forever  veiled  from  their  view,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the 
other  hemisphere  would  be  enveloped  in  the  shades  of 
eternal  night.  While  the  one  class  was  suflering  under 
the  scorching  effects  of  excessive  heat,  the  other  would 
be  frozen  to  death  amidst  the  rigours  of  insufforabk;  cold 
— vegetable  nature,  in  both  cases,  would  languish,  and  the 
animal  tribes  would  be  gradually  extinguished. 

The  same  benevolent  intention  may  be  perceived  in 
that  exertion  of  power  by  which  the  earth  is  cariied  for- 
ward in  its  annual  course  around  the  sun.  From  this  mo- 
lion  we  derive  all  the  pleasures  we  enjoy  from  the  vicissi- 
tude of  the  seasons  ;  without  which  the  variety  of  nature 
that  appears  in  the  beauties  of  spring,  the  luxuriance  of 
summer,  the  fruits  of  autunm,  and  the  repose  of  winter, 
would  be  completely  destroyed.  And,  it  is  worthy  of 
notice,  that  all  this  variety  is  enjoyed  every  moment  by 
jjome  one  tribe  or  other  of  the  human  family  ;  for  while  it 
is  summer  in  one  region,  it  is  winter  in  another ;  and 
while  one  class  of  our  fellow-men  is  contemplating  the 
opening  beauties  of  spring,  another  is  gathering  in  the 
fruits  of  harvest.  The  same  benevolent  designs,  we  have 
every  reason  to  believe,  are  displayed  in  those  more  mag- 
nificent exertions  of  divine  power  which  appear  among  ail 
the  rolling  worlds  on  high  ;  for,  in  so  far  as  our  observa- 
tions extend,   all  the  arrangements  of  the  planetary  globes 


OMNIPOTENCE    OF    GOD.  37 

appear  calculated  to  promote  the  happiness  of  sentient  and 
intellectual  beings. 

While,  therefore,  we  contemplate  the  operations  of  di- 
vine power,  either  in  the  earth  or  in  the  heavens,  we  per- 
ceive every  thing  which  is  calculated  to  inspire  us  with 
love,  admiration,  and  reverence.  When  we  lie  down  on 
our  pillows  in  the  evening,  how  pleasing  is  it  to  reflect, 
that  the  power  of  our  Almighty  Father  will  be  exerted  in 
carrying  us  round  in  safety  several  thousands  of  miles,  dur- 
ing our  repose  in  sleep,  in  order  that  our  eyes  may  be 
again  cheered  with  the  morning  light  1  When,  amidst  the 
gloom  and  storms  of  winter,  we  look  forward  to  the  reviv- 
ing scenes  of  spring,  we  know  that  we  must  be  carried  for- 
ward more  than  a  hundred  millions  of  miles,  before  we 
can  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  that  delightful  season  ;  and 
when  spring  arrives,  we  must  be  carried  through  the  voids 
of  space  a  hundred  millions  of  miles  farther,  before  we  can 
reap  the  fruits  of  summer  and  harvest.  How  delightful, 
then,  is  the  thought,  that  the  omnipotent  energy  of  our 
heavenly  Father  is  incessantly  exerted  in  producing  such 
a  wonderful  effect,  accompanied  by  such  a  variety  of  be- 
neficent changes,  all  contributing  to  our  enjoyment  !* 

What  is  the  reason,  then,  why  we  feel  so  little  admira- 
tion and  reverence  at  the  beneficent  operations  of  divine 
power  1  If  we  should  be  struck  with  veneration  and  won- 
der at  beholding  a  superior  created  intelligence  tossing  a 
range  of  mountains  into  the  sea,  why  do  we  behold,  with 
so  much  apathy,  effects  ten  thousand  times  more  energet- 
ic and  astonishing?  One  general  reason,  among  others, 
undoubtedly  is,  that  the  moral  constitution  of  man  has  suf- 
fered a  melancholy  derangement ;  in  consequence  of 
which,  the   train  of  his  thoughts  and  afiections  has  been 


*  In  this,  and  other  places  of  this  work,  the  truth  of  the  annual 
and  diurnal  motions  of  the  earth  is  taken  for  granted,  because  I  con- 
ceive it  is  susceptible  of  the  clearest  demonstration — (See  "Christ. 
Philosopher,"  3d  edit.  pp.  67,  68,  2S0,  231,  514.)  But,  should  tho 
truth  of  this  position  be  called  in  question  or  denied,  it  will  not  ma- 
terially affect  the  propriety  of  such  moral  reflections  as  are  here  stat- 
ed ;  for,  in  this  case,  a  similar,  or  even  a  much  greater  display  of  om- 
nipotence must  be  admitted  in  reference  to  the  motions  of  the  hea- 
venly bodies,  in  bringing  about  the  succession  of  day  and  nijjlit,  and 
the  changes  of  the  seasons. 


38  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

turned  out  of  its  original  channel.  The  Scriptures  arc 
clear  and  explicit  on  this  point  ;  they  declare,  in  the 
most  positive  terms,  that  "  the  carnal  mind  is  enmity 
against  God"  and  that,  in  consequence  of  this  depraved 
principle,  the  wicked  "  walk  in  the  vanity  of  their  minds, 
being  alienated  from  the  life  of  God.  They  say  to  the 
Almighty,  Depart  from  us,  for  we  desire  not  the  knowl- 
edge of  thy  ways.  God  is  not  in  all  their  thoughts,  and 
through  the  pride  of  their  countenances  they  will  not  call 
upon  God." — Another  reason  is,  that  the  Almighty  agent 
who  produces  so  stupendous  effects  remains  invisible  to 
mortal  eyes.  Were  a  celestial  intelligence  to  appear  in  a 
splendid  and  definite  form,  and  to  produce  such  effects  as 
I  have  supposed,  the  connexion  between  the  agent  and 
the  effects  produced,  would  forcibly  strike  the  senses  and 
the  imagination.  But,  he  who  sits  on  the  throne  of  the 
universe,  and  conducts  all  its  movements,  is  a  Being  "  who 
dwells  in  light  unapproachable,  whom  no  man  hath  seen, 
or  can  see."  He  can  be  contemplated  only  through  the 
sensible  manifestations  he  gives  of  his  perfections  ;  and, 
were  the  train  of  our  thoughts  properly  directed,  we 
would  perceive  him  operating  in  every  object  and  in  every 
movement.  We  would  hear  his  voice  in  the  wind  and  the 
thunder,  in  the  earthquake,  the  storm,  and  the  tempest ;  we 
would  see  him  in  the  beauties  and  sublimities  of  subluna- 
ry nature,  in  the  splendours  of  the  sun,  and  the  glories  of 
the  nocturnal  sky;  and,  in  whatever  situation  we  might 
be  placed,  we  would  leel  ourselves  surrounded  with  the 
omnipotent  energies  of  an  ever-present  Deity. 

The  contemplation  of  God  as  an  omnipotent  being,  is 
calculated  to  inspire  the  mind  with  love  and  confidence  in 
the  prospect  of  futurity.  The  promises  addressed  to  us  by 
a  -wise  and  benevolent  being  can  excite  in  us  trust  and  dc- 
pcndance,  only  in  so  far  as  we  are  convinced  of  his  ability 
to  secure  their  fulfilment.  If  almighty  power  were  not 
an  attribute  of  the  Eternal  Mind,  or  were  we  unable  to 
trace  its  operations  in  visible  existing  facts,  then  all  the 
promises  and  delineations  of  revelation,  in  reference  to 
unseen  and  eternal  objects,  might  prove  to  be  nothing 
more  than  imaginary  scenes,  that  could  never  be  realized. 
But  the  good  man,  who  perceives  omnipotent  energy 
in  incessant  operation  throughout  all  the  scenes  of  the  uni- 


OMNIPOTENCE    OF    GOD.  39 

verse  which  surround  him,  feels  the  most  perfect  security 
in  looking  forward  to  the  scene  of  his  future  destination, 
and  to  those  changes  and  revolutions  which  shall  succeed 
the  period  of  his  present  existence.  He  knoM^s  that,  in  a 
few  years  at  most,  that  immortal  principle  which  now  an- 
imates his  frame,  will  take  its  flight  from  its  earthly  man- 
sion to  a  w^orld  unknown.  To  what  regions  it  will  direct 
its  course  ;  what  scenes  and  prospects  will  be  unfolded 
to  its  view ;  what  intercourse  it  may  have  with  the 
spirits  of  departed  men,  or  with  other  intelligences ; 
in  what  state  it  shall  pass  its  existence  till  the  con- 
summation of  the  present  plan  of  Providence — whe- 
ther it  shall  remain  as  a  naked  spirit  entirely  discon^ 
nected  with  the  visible  universe,  or  be  clothed  with 
some  ethereal  vehicle,  to  enable  it  to  hold  a  correspondence 
with  other  regions  of  the  material  creation — he  is  at  pres- 
ent unable  to  determine.  He  knows  that  his  body,  too, 
shall  disappear  from  the  living  world,  and  be  reduced  to 
corruption  and  ashes.  In  what  manner  the  essential  par- 
ticles of  this  body  shall  be  preserved  distinct  from  those  of 
all  other  human  bodies,  after  they  have  been  tossed  about 
by  the  winds,  and  blended  with  the  other  elements  of  na- 
ture ;  by  what  means  they  shall  be  re-united  into  a  more 
glorious  form ;  and  how  the  separate  spirit  shall  be 
enabled  to  recognize  its  renovated  and  long-lost  partner 
at  the  resurrection  of  the  just — he  can  form  no  conception. 
He  knows,  that  the  globe  on  which  he  now  resides  is 
doomed  to  be  dissolved  amidst  devouring  flames,  when 
••  the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat,  and  the  earth, 
and  the  works  that  are  therein,  shall  be  burnt  up" — that 
the  ashes  of  all  the  myriads  of  the  race  of  Adam  shall 
issue  from  the  caverns  of  the  ocean,  and  from  the  charnel 
houses,  in  every  region  of  the  land — that  they  shall  be 
moulded  into  new  organical  structures,  united  with  their 
kindred  spirits,  and  be  convened  in  one  grand  assembly 
before  God,  the  Judge  of  all.  He  knows,  that  "  new  heav- 
ens and  a  new  earth"  will  be  arranged  for  the  residence 
of  the  "  redeemed  from  among  men ;"  but  in  what  region 
of  the  universe  this  abode  may  be  prepared,  what  scenes  it 
will  unfold,  and  by  what  means  the  innumerable  company 
of  the  righteous  shall  be  transported  fiom  amidst  the  ru- 
ins of  this  globe  to  that  celestial  habitation — he  is  at  pre- 


40  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

cent  at  a  loss  to  form  even  a  conjecture.  He  knows,  that 
after  these  solemn  changes  have  been  effected,  ages  nu- 
merous as  the  drops  of  the  ocean  will  roll  over  him — that 
worlds  numerous  as  the  stars  of  heaven  will  still  run  their 
destined  rounds — that  other  systems  may  undergo  impor- 
tant changes  and  revolutions — that  new  systems  of  crea- 
tion may  be  gradually  emerging  into  existence,  and  that 
scenes  of  magnificence  and  glory,  different  from  all  that 
ever  preceded  them,  may  incessantly  rise  to  view,  thiough- 
out  the  lapse  of  unceasing  duration.  But,  in  the  prospect 
of  all  these  solemn  and  important  events,  he  beholds — in 
that  Almighty  energy  which  wheels  our  globe  around 
from  day  to  day,  and  impels  it  in  its  annual  course,  and 
which  directs,  at  the  same  time,  the  movements  of  all  the 
hosts  of  heaven — the  exertion  of  a  benevolent  power, 
which  is  calculated  to  inspire  him  with  love  and  confi- 
dence, and  which  is  able  to  secure  his  happiness  amidst 
the  revolutions  of  worlds,  and  amidst  all  the  scenes 
through  which  he  may  pass  during  an  immortal  existence. 
Under  this  impression,  he  can  adopt  the  affectionate  and 
triumphant  language  of  the  Psalmist — "  whom  have  I  in 
heaven  but  thee,  and  there  is  none  upon  earth  that  I  de- 
sire besides  thee !  My  heart  and  my  flesh  shall  fail,  but 
God  is  the  strength  of  my  heart,  and  my  portion  forever.'*'' 

Thus  it  appears,  that  the  omnipotence  of  God  is  one  of 
those  attributes  of  his  nature  which  is  particularly  calcu- 
lated to  till  the  mind  with  sentiments  of  love  and  confi- 
dence, admiration  and  reverence.  And,  if  such  emotions 
be  at  all  excited  in  the  mind,  they  must  rise  to  the  highest 
pitch  of  elevation  to  which  we  can  carry  them ;  for  there 
is  no  other  object  or  being  that  possesses  the  same  perfec- 
tion, or  can  claim  the  same  degree  of  affection  and  love. 
If  we  love  God  at  all,  it  must  be  "  with  all  our  heart, 
with  all  our  understanding,  and  with  all  our  strength." — 
'I'hc  considerations  to  which  I  have  now  adverted,  have 
been  too  seldom  taken  into  view  in  moral  and  religious 
discussions  on  this  topic.  The  omnipotence  of  the  Deity 
is  seldom  exhibited  as  a  ground  and  an  excitement  of  ven- 
eration and  love,  and  yet  it  stands,  as  it  were,  on  the 
fore-front  of  the  divine  character,  giving  beauty  and  effi- 
ciency to  all  his  other  perfections :  without  which  wisdom, 
benevolence,  faithfulness,  mercy,  and  patience,  would  de- 


OMNIPOTENCE    OF    GOD.  41 

generate  into  empty  names^  and  form  no  solid  foundation 
for  the  exercise  of  confidence  and  hope.  And,  therefore, 
it  is  the  duty  of  every  Christian  to  endeavour,  by  every 
proper  means,  to  enlarge  his  conceptions  of  the  operations 
of  omnipotence,  and  to  famiUarize  his  mind  to  contempla- 
tions, of  the  magnitude,  motions,  grandeur,  and  immensity 
of  God's  works,  in  order  that  his  love  to  God  may  be  ele- 
vated and  expanded,  and  his  faith  and  hope  strengthened 
and  invigorated.  To  this  attribute  of  Jehovah  the  inspir- 
ed writers  uniformly  direct  our  views,  as  a  source  of  joy 
and  confidence."  Praise  ye  the  Lord, — praise  him,  ye 
servants  of  the  Lord  ;  for  I  know  that  Jehovah  is  Great, 
and  that  our  Lord  is  above  all  God's.  Whatever  the  Lord 
pleased  that  did  he,  in  heaven,  and  in  earth,  in  the  seas, 
and  all  deep  places. — Great  is  the  Lord,  and  greatly  to  be 
praised ;  his  greatness  is  unsearchable.  I  will  speak  of 
the  glorious  honour  of  thy  majesty,  and  of  thy  wondrous 
works.  I  will  speak  of  the  might  of  thy  terrible  acts,  and 
will  declare  thy  greatness  ;  to  make  known  to  the  sons 
of  men  thy  mighty  operations,  and  the  glorious  majesty  of 
thy  kingdom.  Happy  is  he  who  hath  the  God  of  Jacob 
for  his  help,  whose  hope  is  in  the  Lord  his  God,  who 
made  heaven  and  earth,  the  sea,  and  all  that  in  them  is, 
who  keepeth  truth  for  ever." 


SECTION  IV. 

On  the  Wisdom  and  Goodness  of  God. 

Another  feature  in  the  divine  character,  which  is  cal- 
culated to  excite  our  most  ardent  affection,  is,  the  Wisdom 
and  Goodness  of  God.  These  two  attributes  may  be  con- 
sidered under  one  head  ;  since  they  are  always  insepara- 
ble in  their  operation.  Goodness  proposes  the  end,  namely, 
the  happiness  of  the  sensitive  and  intelligent  creation ; 
and  Wisdom  selects  the  most  proper  means  for  its  accom- 
plishment. 

Wherever  genius  appears  combined  with  benevolent 
intentions  and  beneficient  operations,  we  cannot  withhold 
a  certain  portion  of  affection  and  regard. 

When  we  behold  a  man  like  Howard,  devoting  his 
4 


42  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

wealth,  his  knowledge,  his  intellectual  and  active  power*, 
to  alleviate  the  sorrows,  and  to  promote  the  happiness  of 
his  fellow-men — when  we  behold  him  in  retirement  at 
his  native  mansion,  a  universal  blessing  to  his  neighbours 
around  him,  furnishing  employment  for  the  poor,  erect- 
ing schools  for  the  instruction  of  their  children,  watch- 
ing over  the  morals  of  his  neighbourhood,  visiting  the 
abodes  of  affliction,  acting  the  part  of  a  physician  to  their 
bodies,  imparting  spiritual  instruction  to  their  souls,  pro- 
moting the  knowledge  and  practice  of  religion,  and  ex- 
tending his  benevolent  regards  to  persons  of  all  religious 
persuasions — when  we  behold  him  leaving  his  native 
country  and  the  friends  of  his  youth,  on  a  tour  of  benevo- 
lence over  all  Europe  and  the  east ;  hazarding  his  health 
and  his  life  in  the  service  of  humanity,  diving  into  the 
depths  of  dungeons,  plunging  into  the  infected  atmos- 
pheres of  hospitals  and  jails,  visiting  the  lonely  and  squal- 
id prisoner,  entering  the  wretched  hovels  of  sorrow  and 
affliction,  administering  consolation  and  relief,  and  survey- 
ing the  dimensions  of  misery  and  distress  among  men  of  all 
nations,  for  the  purpose  of  devising  schemes  for  the  relief 
of  the  distresses  of  suffering  humanity,  and  for  promoting  the 
comforts  of  mankind — when  such  a  character  appears  on  the 
stage  of  life,  there  is  no  class  of  the  human  race,  whose  pow- 
ers are  not  completely  vitiated,  but  must  feel  towards  it 
strong  emotions  of  esteem  and  of  aflectionate  regard. 

But  what  are  all  the  wise  and  beneficent  designs  of  a 
fellow-mortal,  when  compared  with  the  numerous  and  di- 
versified streams  of  benevolence  which  are  incessantly 
flowing  from  the  uncreated  source  of  felicity  !  They  are 
but  as  a  drop  to  the  ocean,  or  as  an  atom  when  compared 
with  the  immensity  of  the  universe.  On  Him  all  beings 
depend,  from  the  archangel  to  the  worm  ;  from  Him  they 
derive  their  comforts  ;  to  Him  they  are  indebted  for  all 
their  powers  and  faculties ;  and  on  Him  their  eternal  fe- 
licity depends.  Were  we  to  prosecute  this  subject  to  any 
C'ctent,  it  would  lead  us  into  a  field  on  which  volumes 
m'ght  be  written,  and  yet  the  greater  part  of  the  displays 
of  divine  beneficence  would  remain  unrecorded.  I  shall, 
therefore,  confine  myself  to  the  selection  of  only  a  few  in- 
stances of  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  Ciod. 

Wherever  we  turn  our  eyes  in  the  world  around  us,  we 


WISDOM    AND    GOODNESS    OF    GOD.  43 

behold  innumerable  instances  of  our  Creator's  benefi- 
cence. In  order  that  the  eye  and  the  imagination  may  be 
gratified  and  charmed,  he  has  spread  over  the  surface  of 
our  terrestrial  habitation  an  assemblage  of  the  richest  col- 
ours, which  beautify  and  adorn  the  landsca])e  of  the  earth, 
and  present  to  our  view  a  picturesque  and  diversified  scen- 
ery, which  is  highly  gratifying  to  the  principle  of  novelty 
implanted  in  the  human  mind.  On  all  sides  we  behold  a 
rich  variety  of  beauty  and  magnificence.  Here,  spread 
the  wide  plains  and  fertile  fields,  adorned  with  fruits  and 
verdure ;  there,  the  hills  rise  in  gentle  slopes,  and  the 
mountains  rear  their  snowy  tops  to  the  clouds,  distilling 
from  their  sides  the  brooks  and  rivers,  which  enliven  and 
fertilize  the  plains  through  which  they  flow.  Here,  the 
lake  stretches  into  a  smooth  expanse  in  the  bosom  of  the 
mountains  ;  there,  the  rivers  meander  through  the  forests 
and  the  flowery  fields,  diversifying  the  rural  scene,  and 
distributing  health  and  fertility  in  their  train.  Here,  we 
behold  the  rugged  cliffs  and  the  stately  port  of  the  forest ; 
there,  we  are  charmed  with  the  verdure  of  the  meadow, 
the  enamel  of  flowers,  the  azure  of  the  sky,  and  the  gay 
colouring  of  the  morning  and  evening  clouds.  In  order 
that  this  scene  of  beauty  and  magnificence  might  be  ren- 
dered visible.  He  formed  the  element  of  lights  without  which 
the  expanse  of  the  universe  would  be  a  boundless  desert, 
and  its  beauties  forever  veiled  from  our  sight.  It  opens  to 
our  view  the  mountains,  the  hills,  the  vales,  the  woods,  the 
lawns,  the  flocks  and  herds,  the  wonders  of  the  mighty 
deep,  and  the  radiant  orbs  of  heaven.  It  paints  a  thousand 
difl'erent  hues  on  the  objects  around  us,  and  promotes  a 
cheerful  and  extensive  intercourse  among  all  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  globe. 

Again,  in  order  to  gratify  the  sense  of  hearings  He  formed 
the  atmosphere,  and  endowed  it  with  an  undulating  qual- 
ity, that  it  might  waft  to  our  ears  the  pleasures  of  sound, 
and  all  the  charms  of  music.  The  murmuring  of  the 
brooks,  the  whispers  of  the  gentle  breeze,  the  soothing 
sounds  of  the  rivulet,  the  noise  of  the  waterfall,  the  hum 
of  bees,  the  buzz  of  insects,  the  chirping  of  birds,  the  soft 
notes  of  the  nightingale,  and  the  melody  of  thousands  of 
the  feathered  songsters,  which  fill  the  groves  with  their 
warblings,  produce  a  pleasing  variety  of  delightful  emo- 


44  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

lions  ; — the  numerous  modulations  of  the  human  voice, 
the  articulate  sounds  peculiar  to  the  human  species,  by 
which  the  interchanges  of  thought  and  affection  are  pro- 
moted, the  soft  notes  of  the  piano  forte,  the  solemn  sounds 
of  the  organ — and  even  the  roaring  of  the  stormy  ocean, 
the  dashings  of  the  mighty  cataract,  and  the  rolling  thun- 
ders, which  elevate  the  soul  to  sentiments  of  sublimity  and 
awe — are  all  productive  of  a  mingled  variety  of  pleasures  ; 
and  demonstrate,  that  the  distribution  of  happiness  is  one 
grand  end  of  the  operations  of  our  bountiful  Creator. 

To  gratify  the  sense  of  smelling,  he  has  perfumed  the 
air  with  a  variety  of  delicious  odours,  which  are  incessant- 
ly exhaled  from  a  thousand  plants  and  flowers.  Countless 
millions  of  these  odoriferous  particles,  which  elude  the  pen- 
etrating power  of  the  finest  microscope  to  discover,  are 
continually  wafted  about  by  the  air,  and  floating  around 
us,  impervious  to  the  sight,  the  hearing,  and  the  touch, 
but  calculated  to  convey  pleasure  to  the  soul,  through  the 
medium  of  the  olfactory  nerves,  and  to  enable  us  to  "  ban- 
quet on  the  invisible  dainties  of  nature.'' 

To  gratify  the  sense  oi feeling,  he  has  connected  plea- 
sure with  the  contact  of  almost  every  thing  we  have  occa- 
sion to  touch,  and  has  rendered  it  subservient  for  warning 
us  of  whatever  may  be  disagreeable  or  dangerous.  Had 
a  malevolent  Being  constructed  the  body  of  man,  and 
formed  the  arrangements  of  external  nature,  he  might 
have  rendered  the  contact  of  every  object  of  touch  as 
acutely  painful,  as  when  we  clasp  a  prickly  shrub,  or  thrust 
our  fingers  against  the  point  of  a  needle. 

To  gratify  the  sense  of  taste,  and  to  nourish  our  bodies, 
he  has  furnished  us  with  a  rich  variety  of  aliments,  distrib- 
uted, not  with  a  niggardly  and  a  sparing  hand,  but  with  a 
luxuriant  profusion,  suited  to  the  tastes  of  every  sentient 
being,  and  to  the  circumstances  of  the  inhabitants  of  ev- 
ery clime.  He  has  not  confined  his  bounty  merely  to 
the  relief  of  our  necessities,  by  confining  us  to  the  use  of 
a  few  tasteless  herbs  and  roots,  but  has  covered  the  sur- 
face of  the  earth  with  an  admirable  profusion  of  plants, 
herbs,  grains,  and  delicious  fruits  of  a  thousand  diffe- 
rent qualities  and  tastes,  which  contribute  to  the  sensi- 
tive enjoyment  and  comfort  of  man.     In  almost  every  re- 


WISDOM    AND    GOODNESS    OF    GOD.  45 

gion  of  the  earth,  corn  is  to  be  found,  in  the  valleys  sin- 
rounded  by  the  snowy  mountains  of  the  North,  as  well  as 
in  the  verdant  plains  of  the  Torrid  Zone.  In  warm  re- 
gions, cool  and  delicious  fruits  are  provided  for  the  re- 
freshment of  the  inhabitants,  and  the  trees  are  covered 
with  luxuriant  foliage  to  screen  them  from  the  intensity  of 
the  solar  heat  !*  Every  season  piesents  us  with  a  variety 
of  fruits  peculiar  to  itself,  distributed  by  the  munificent 
hand  of  the  "  Giver  of  all  good."  The  month  of  Jujie 
presents  us  with  cabbages,  cauliflowers,  and  cherries ; 
July,  with  gooseberries,  raspberries,  peaches,  and  apri- 
cots ;  August  and  September  scatter  before  us,  in  luxuri- 
ant abundance,  plums,  figs,  apples,  pears,  turnips,  carrots, 
cresses,  potatoes,  and,  above  all,  wheat,  oats,  rye,  and 
barley,  which  constitute  the  "  staff  of  bread"  for  the  sup- 
port of  man  and  beast ;  and  although  we  are  indebted 
chiefly  to  summer  and  autumn  for  these  rich  presents,  yet, 
by  the  assistance  of  human  art,  we  can  preserve  and  enjoy 
the  greater  part  during  winter  and  spring.  The  soil 
which  produces  these  dainties  has  never  yet  lost  its  fertil- 
ity, though  it  has  brouglit  forth  the  harvests  of  six  thou- 
sand years,  but  still  repays  our  labour  with  its  annuel 
treasures ; — and,  were  selfish  man  animated  with  the  same 
liberal  and  generous  views  as  his  munificent  Creator,  eve- 
ry individual  of  the  human  family  would  be  plentifully 
supplied  with  a  share  of  these  rich  and  delicious  bounties 
of  nature. 

In    fine,  the  happiness  of  man  appears  to  be  the    object 


*  The  manner  in  which  the  Creator  has  contrived  a  siipj.ly  fort];r 
thirst  of  man,  in  sultry  places,  is  worthy  ofadmiration. — He  has  phiced, 
amidst  the  burning  sands  of  Africa,  a  plant,  whose  leaf,  twisted  roimd 
like  a  cruet,  is  always  filled  with  a  larire  glass  full  of  fresh  water :  the 
pullet  of  this  cruet  is  shut  by  the  extremity  of  the  leaf  itself,  so  as  to  pre- 
vent the  water  from  evaporating.  He  has  planted,  in  some  other  dis- 
tricts of  the  same  country,  a  great  tree,  called  by  the  negroes  Boa,  the 
trunk  of  which,  of  a  prodigious  bulk,  is  naturally  hollowed  like  a  cistern. 
In  the  rainy  season,  it  receives  its  fill  of  water,  which  continues  fresh 
and  cool  in  the  greatest  heats,  by  means  of  the  tufted  foliage  whicii 
crowns  its  summit. — In  some  of  the  parched  rocky  islands  in  the  WcFt 
Indies,  there  is  found  a  tree,  called  the  xoaier  Uanne,  so  full  of  sap,  that  if 
you  cut  a  single  branch  of  it,  as  much  water  is  immediately  dis- 
charged as  a  man  can  drink  at  a  draught,  and  it  is  perfectly  pure  and 
limped.  See  Pierre's  "  Studies  ofj^ature^^^ 
4* 


46  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

of  the  divine  care  every  returning  season,  every  moment, 
by  day,  and  by  night.  By  day.  He  cheers  us  with  the  en- 
livening beams  of  the  sun,  which  unfoldes  to  us  the  beauty 
and  the  verdure  of  the  fields  ;  and,  lest  the  constant  efflux 
of  his  light  and  heat  should  enfeeble  our  bodies,  and  wither 
the  tender  herbs,  he  commands  the  clouds  to  interpose, 
as  so  many  magnificent  screens,  to  ward  off  the  intensity 
of  the  aolar  rays.  When  the  earth  is  drained  of  its  mois- 
ture, and  parched  with  heat,  he  bids  the  clouds  condense 
their  watry  treasures,  and  fly  from  other  regions  on  the 
wings  of  the  wind,  to  pour  their  waters  upon  the  fields, 
not  in  overwhelming  and  destructive  torrents,  but  in  small 
drops  and  gentle  showers,  to  refresh  the  thirsty  soil,  and 
revive  the  vegetable  tribes.  He  has  spread  under  our 
feet  a  carpet  of  lovely  green,  richer  than  all  the  produc- 
tions of  the  Persian  loom,  and  has  thrown  around  our  hal> 
itatiou  an  azure  canopy,  which  directs  our  view  to  the  dis- 
tant regions  of  infinite  space. — By  night,  he  draws  a  veil 
of  darkness  over  the  mountains  and  the  plains,  that  we 
may  be  enabled  to  penetrate  to  the  regions  of  distant 
worlds,  and  behold  the  moon  walking  in  brightness,  the 
aspects  of  the  planetary  globes,  the  long  trains  of  comets, 
and  the  innumerable  host  of  stars.  At  this  season,  too, 
all  nature  is  still,  that  we  may  enjoy  in  quiet  the  refresh- 
ments of  sleep,  to  invigorate  our  mental  and  corporeaJ 
powers.  "  As  a  mother  stills  every  little  noise,  that  her 
infant  be  not  disturbed  ;  as  she  draws  the  curtains  around 
its  bed,  and  shuts  out  the  light  from  its  tender  eyes  ;  so 
God  draws  the  curtains  of  darkness  around  us,  so  he  makes 
all  things  to  be  hushed  and  still,  that  his  large  family  may 
sleep  in  peace." — In  a  word,  if  we  look  around  us  to  t)ie 
forests  which  cover  the  mountains,  or  if  we  look  down- 
wards to  the  quarries  and  mines  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 
we  behold  abundance  of  materials  for  constructing  our 
habitations,  for  embellishing  the  abodes  of  civilized  life, 
and  for  carrying  forward  improvements  in  the  arts  and 
sciences.  And,  if  we  consider  the  surrounding  atmos- 
phere, we  shall  find  it  to  contain  the  principle  of  life,  and 
the  element  oi  fire,  by  means  of  which  our  winter  even- 
ings are  cheered  and  illuminated  in  the  absence  ot  the  sun. 
— Contemplating  all  these  benign  agencies  as  flowing 
from  the  care  and  benevolence  of  our  Almighty  Parent, 


WISDOM    AND    GOODNESS    OF    GOD.  47 

the  pious  mind  may  adopt  the  beautiful  language  of  the 
poet,  though  in  a  sense  somewhat  diflferent  from  what  ha 
intended : — 

"  For  me  kind  Nature  wakes  her  genial  power, 

Suckles  each  herb,  and  spreads  out  every  flower  ; 

Annual  for  me,  the  grape,  the  rose,  renew 

The  juice  ncctareous,  and  the  balmy  dew  ; 

For  me  the  mine  a  thousand  treasures  brings  ; 

For  me  health  gushes  from  a  thousand  springs  ; 

Seas  roll  to  waft  me,  suns  to  light  me  rise  ; 

My  footstool  earth,  my  canopy  the  skies."  Pope. 

Viewing  the  various  scenes  and  harmonies  of  nature, 
in  relation  to  man,  and  to  the  gratification  of  his  different 
senses,  we  may  also  say,  in  the  language  of  Akenside,  in 
hi*  poem  "  On  the  Pleasures  of  Imagination,"  that 


Not  a  breeze 


Flies  o'er  the  meadow,  not  a  cloud  imbibes 
The  setting  sun's  effulgence  ;  not  a  strain 
From  all  the  tenants  of  the  warbling  shade 
Ascends,  but  whence  his  bosom  can  partake 

Fresh  pleasure  and  delight. 

The  rolling  waves,  the  sun's  unwearied  course, 
The  elements  and  seasons,  all  declare 
For  what  the  Eternal  Maker  has  ordain'd 
The  powers  of  man  :   we  feel  within  ourselves 
His  energy  divine  :  He  tells  the  heart 
He  meant.  He  made  us  to  behold  and  love 
What  He  beholds  and  loves,  the  general  orb 
Of  life  and  being  :  to  be  great  like  Him, 
Beneficent  and  active." 

liCt  us  now  consider,  for  a  few  moments,  the  Wisdom 
which  is  displayed  in  the  harmonious  adjustment  of  the 
organs  of  sense  to  the  scenes  of  external  nature.  AH 
the  scenes  of  beauty,  grandeur,  and  benignity,  Avhich 
surround  us,  in  the  earth  and  heavens,  would  remain  as 
one  mighty  blank,  unproductive  of  enjoyment,  unless 
our  bodies  were  "  fearfully  and  wonderfully"  framed, 
and  endowed  with  organs  fitted  for  enabling  us  to  hold  a 
correspondence  with  the  material  world.  Ten  thousand* 
of  vessels,  tubes,  bones,  muscles,  ligaments?,  membranes, 
motions,  contrivances,  and  adaptations,  beyond  the  reach 
of  the  human  understanding  fully  to  investigate  or  to  com- 
prehend, must  be  arranged,  and  act  in  harmonious  concert, 


48  THE     PHIL030PHT    OF    RELIGION. 

before  any  one  sense  belonging  to  man  can   perceive  and 
enjoy  its  objects. 

Before  the  eye.  can  behold  a  landscape,  and  be  charmed 
with  its  beauties,  it  was  requisite  that  three  humours 
should  be  formed,  of  different  sizes,  different  densities,  and 
diflerent  refractive  powers — three  coats,  or  delicate  mem- 
branes, with  some  parts  opaque,  and  some  transparent, 
some  black,  and  some  white,  some  of  them  formed  of  radi- 
al^ and  some  with  circular  fibres,  composed  of  threads  fmer 
than  those  of  the  spider's  web.  The  crystalline  humour  re- 
quired to  be  composed  of  two  thousand  very  thin  spherical 
lamina,  or  scales,  lying  one  upon  another,  every  oneof  thes€ 
scales  made  up  of  one  single  fibre,  or  finest  thread,  wound, 
in  a  most  stupendous  manner,  this  way,  and  that  way,  so 
as  to  run  several  courses,  and  to  meet  in  as  many  centres. 
This  curious  and  delicate  piece  of  organization  required 
to  be  compressed  into  the  size  of  a  ball  of  only  half  an 
inch  in  diameter,  and  a  socket  composed  of  a  number  of 
small  bones,  to  be  hollowed  out  and  exactly  fitted  for  its 
reception.  A  bed  of  loose  fat  for  this  ball  to  rest  upon,  a 
lid  or  curtain  to  secure  it  from  danger,  a  variety  of  mus- 
cles to  enable  it  to  move  upwards,  and  downwards,  to  the 
right,  and  to  the  left,  and  a  numerous  assemblage  of  mi- 
nute veins,  arteries,  nerves,  lymphatics,  glands,  and  other 
delicate  pieces  of  animal  macliinery,  of  which  we  have 
no  distinct  conception,  were  still  requisite  to  complete  this 
admirable  organ.  Even  in  this  state  it  would  be  of  no 
use  for  the  purpose  of  vision,  unless  it  were  connected 
with  the  brain  by  the  optic  nerve,  through  the  medium  of 
which  the  impressions  of  visible  objects  are  conveyed  to 
the  soul.  Still,  in  addition  to  all  these  contrivances,  a 
wonderful  machinery  requires  to  be  in  action,  and  an  ad- 
mirable effect  produced,  before  a  landscape  can  be  con- 
templated. Ten  thousand  millions  of  rays,  compounded 
of  a  thousand  different  shades  of  colour,  must  lly  off  in 
every  direction  from  the  objects  which  compose  the  sur- 
rounding scene,  and  be  compressed  into  the  space  of  one 
eighth  of  an  inch,  in  order  to  enter  the  eye,  and  must 
paint  every  object  in  its  true  colour,  form,  and  proportion, 
on  a  space  not  exceeding  half  an  inch  in  diameter.  Were 
any  one  of  the  parts  which  compose  this  complicated  ma- 
chine, either   wanting  or  deranged ;  were  it  changed  into 


WISDOM    AND    GOODNESS    OF    GOD.  49 

!i  different  form,  or  placed  in  a  different  position  ;  were 
even  a  single  muscle  to  lose  its  capacity  of  acting,  we 
might  be  for  ever  deprived  of  all  the  enchanting  prospects 
of  the  earth  and  heavens,  and  enveloped  in  the  darkness 
of  eternal  night.  Such  is  the  skill  and  intelligence  requi- 
site for  accomplishing,  even  in  a  single  organ,  the  purpos- 
es of  Divine  benevolence. 

Again,  Before  we  could  enjoy  the  harmony  of  sounds, 
the  charms  of  music,  and  the  pleasures  of  conversation, 
an  instrument  no  less  wonderful  than  the  eye  required 
to  be  constructed.  In  the  ecr,  which  is  the  organ  of 
hearing,  it  was  requisite,  that  there  should  be  an  outward 
porch  for  collecting  the  vibrations  of  the  air,  constructed, 
not  of  fleshy  substances,  which  might  fall  down  upon  the 
orifice,  or  absorb  the  sounds,  nor  of  solid  bones,  which 
would  occasion  pain  and  inconvenience  when  we  repose 
ourselves — but  composed  of  a  cartilaginous  substance, 
covered  with  a  smooth  membrane,  endowed  with  elastici- 
ty, and  bent  into  a  variety  of  circular  folds,  or  hollows,  for 
tlie  reflection  of  sound.  It  was  farther  requisite,  that 
there  should  be  a  tube,  or  passage,  composed  partly  of 
cartilage,  and  partly  of  bone,  lined  with  a  skin  or  mem- 
brane, and  moistened  with  a  glutinous  matter,  to  form 
a  communication  with  the  internal  machinery  of  this  or- 
gan, where  the  principal  wonders  of  hearing  are  perform- 
ed. This  machinery  consists,  first,  of  the  tympanum,  or 
drum  of  the  ear,  which  consists  of  a  dry,  thin,  and  round 
membrane,  stretched  upon  a  bony  ring,  so  as  actually  to 
resemble  the  instrument  we  call  a  drum.  Under  this 
membrane  is  a  small  nerve,  or  string,  stretched  tight,  for 
the  purpose  of  stretching  or  relaxing  the  drum,  and  in- 
creasing or  diminishing  its  vibrations,  so  as  to  render  it 
capable  of  reflecting  every  possible  tone.  Behind  it  is  a 
cavity,  hewn  out  of  the  temporal  bone,  the  hardest  one  in 
the  body,  in  which  there  seems  to  be  an  echo,  by  which 
the  sound  is  reflected  with  the  utmost  precision.  This 
cavity  contains  four  very  small,  but  remarkable  bones,  de- 
nominated the  hammer,  the  anvil,  the  orbicular  bone^  and 
the  stirrup,  all  connected  together,  and  necessary  for  con- 
tributing to  the  extension  and  vibration  of  the  tympanum. 
In  this  cavity  are  also  formed  various  windings  or  cavi- 
ties filled  with  air ;  and,  in  order  that  the  air  may  be  re- 


50  THE  PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

newed,  there  is   an  opening  which  communicates  with  the 
back  part  of  the  mouth,  called  the  Eustachian  tube. 

The  next  apparatus  belonging  to  this  curious  machine, 
is  the  Labyrinth  which  is  composed  of  three  parts,  the  ves- 
tibule or  porch,  three  semicircular  canals^  and  the  cochlea. 
This  last  is  a  canal,  which  takes  a  spiral  course,  like  the 
shell  of  a  snail,  and  is  divided  by  a  very  thin  lamina,  or 
septum  of  cords,  which  keeps  decreasing  from  the  base  to 
tlie  top.  The  air  acting  on  either  side  of  these  diminutive 
cords,  produces  a  motion,  nearly  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  sound  of  one  musical  instrument  excites  a  tremulous 
motion  in  the  cords  of  another.  All  these  tubes,  and 
winding  canals,  may  be  considered  as  so  many  sounding 
galleries,  for  augmenting  the  smallest  tremours,  and  con- 
veying their  impressions  to  the  auditory  nerves,  which 
conduct  them  to  the  brain.  Besides  the  several  parts  now 
mentioned,  a  number  of  arteries,  veins,  lymphatics,  glands, 
and  a  variety  of  other  contrivances,  which  the  human 
mind  can  neither  trace  nor  comprehend,  are  connected 
with  the  mechanism  of  this  admirable  organ. 

All  this  curious  and  complicated  apparatus,  however, 
would  have  been  of  no  avail  for  the  purpose  of  hearing, 
had  not  the  atmosphere  been  formed,  and  its  particles  en- 
dowed with  a  tremulous  motion.  But,  this  medium  being 
prepared,  a  sounding  body  communicates  an  undulatory  mo- 
tion to  the  air,  as  a  stone  thrown  into  a  pond  produces  cir- 
cular waves  in  the  water ;  the  air,  thus  put  in  motion, 
shakes  the  drum  of  the  ear  ;  the  tremours,  thus  excited,  pro- 
duce vibrations  in  the  air  within  the  drum ;  this  air 
shakes  the  handle  of  the  hammer ;  the  hammer  strikes 
the  anvil,  with  which  it  is  articulated  ;  the  anvil  trans- 
mits the  motion  to  the  stirrup,  to  which  its  longer  leg  is 
fastened  ;  the  stirrup  transmits  the  motion  it  has  received, 
to  the  nerves  ;  and  the  nerves,  vibrating  like  the  strings 
of  a  violin,  or  a  lyre,  and  the  motion  being  still  farther 
augmented  in  the  Labyrinth^ — the  soul,  in  a  manner  alto- 
gether incomprehensible  to  us,  receives  an  impression 
proportioned  to  the  weakness  or  intensity  of  the  vibration 
produced  by  the  sounding  body.  Such  is  the  exquisite 
and  complicated  machinery  which  required  to  be  con- 
Btructed,  and  preserved  in  action  every  moment,  before 


WISDOM    AND    GOODNESS    OF    GOD.  51 

we  could  enjoy  the  benefits  of  sound,  and  the  pleasures 
of  articulate  conversation. 

Again,  before  we  could  enjoy  the  pleasures  o[  feelings 
an  extensive  system  of  organization  required  to  be  ar- 
ranged. A  system  of  nerves,  originating  in  the  brain  and 
spinal  marrow,  and  distributed,  in  numberless  minute 
ramifications,  through  the  heart,  lungs,  bowels,  blood-ves- 
sels, hands,  feet,  and  every  other  part  of  the  body,  was 
requisite  to  be  interwoven  through  the  whole  constitution 
of  the  animal  frame,  before  this  sense,  which  is  the  foun- 
dation of  all  the  other  sensations,  and  the  source  of  so 
many  pleasures,  could  be  produced.  Wherever  there  are 
nerves,  there  are  also  sensations  ;  and  wherever  any  par- 
ticular part  of  the  body  requires  to  exert  a  pecuhar  feel- 
ing, there  the  nerves  are  arranged  and  distributed  in  a 
peculiar  manner,  to  produce  the  intended  effect.  And 
how  nicely  is  every  thing  arranged  and  attempered,  in 
this  respect,  to  contribute  to  our  comfort !  If  the  points 
of  the  fingers  require  to  be  endowed  with  a  more  delicate 
sensation  than  several  other  parts,  they  are  furnished  with 
a  corresponding  number  of  nervous  ramifications ;  if  the 
heel  require  to  be  more  callous,  the  nerves  are  more  spar- 
ingly distributed.  If  feeling  were  equally  distributed  over 
the  whole  body,  and  as  acutely  sensible  as  in  the  mem- 
branes of  the  eye,  our  very  clothes  would  become  galling 
and  insupportable,  and  we  should  be  exposed  to  contin- 
ual pain ;  and  if  every  part  were  as  insensible  as  the  cal- 
lous of  the  heel,  the  body  would  be  benumbed,  the  plea- 
sures we  derive  from  this  sense  would  be  destroyed,  and 
Uie  other  organs  of  sensation  could  not  perform  their 
functions  in  the  manner  in  which  they  now  operate.  So 
that  in  this,  as  well  as  in  all  the  other  sensitive  organs, 
infinite  Wisdom  is  admirably  displayed  in  executing  the 
designs  of  Benevolence. 

In  order  that  we  might  derive  enjoyment  from  the  vari- 
ous aliments  and  delicious  fruits  which  the  earth  produces, 
a  peculiar  organization,  different  from  all  the  other  senses, 
was  requisite  to  be  devised.  Before  we  could  reHsh  the 
peculiar  flavour  of  the  pear,  the  apple,  the  peach,  the 
plumb,  or  the  grape,  the  tongue,  the  principal  organ  of 
taste,  required  to  be  formed,  and  its  surface  covered  with 
an  infinite   number  of  nervous  papill(B,   curiously   divari- 


62  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

cated  over  its  surface,  to  receive  and  convey  to  the  soul 
the  impressions  of  every  flavour.  These  nerves  required 
to  be  guarded  with  a  firm  and  proper  tegument  or  cover- 
ing, to  defend  them  from  danger,  and  enable  them  to  per- 
form their  functions  so  long  as  life  continues  ;  and,  at  the 
same  time,  to  be  perforated  in  such  a  manner,  with  a  mul- 
titude of  pores,  in  the  papillary  eminences,  as  to  give  a 
free  admission  to  every  variety  of  taste.  It  was  likewise 
necessary,  that  these  papillary  nerves  should  be  distributed 
in  the  greatest  number,  in  those  parts  of  the  organ  to 
which  the  objects  of  taste  are  most  frequently  applied ; 
and  hence  we  find,  that  they  are  more  numerous  on  the 
upper  than  on  the  lower  parts  of  the  tongue ;  and,  there- 
fore, when  we  apply  highly-flavoured  substances  to  the 
under  part,  we  are  not  so  sensible  of  the  taste,  till  M^e  re- 
move them  to  the  upper  surface.  A  variety  of  veins,  ar- 
teries, glands,  tendons,  and  other  parts  with  which  we  are 
unacquainted,  are  also  connected  with  this  useful  organ. 
When  we  consider  how  frequently  these  delicate  organs 
are  used,  during  a  length  of  years,  it  is  matter  of  admira- 
tion how  well  they  wear.  While  our  clothes  wear  out  in 
the  course  of  a  year  or  two,  while  the  hairs  of  our  heads 
turn  gray,  and  are  nipt  asunder  at  the  roots,  and  while 
age  shrivels  the  most  beautiful  skin,  these  delicate  nervous 
papillae  last  longer  than  instruments  of  iron  or  steel  ;  for 
the  sense  of  taste  is  generally  the  last  that  decays.  For 
the  bestowment  of  this  sense,  therefore,  and  the  plea- 
sures it  conveys,  we  have  abundant  reason  to  admire  and 
adore  the  Wisdom  and  Goodness  of  our  Almighty  Crea- 
tor. 

Finally,  that  we  might  be  regaled  with  the  scent  of 
flowers,  and  the  aromatic  perfumes  of  spring  and  summer, 
and  that  none  of  the  pleasures  of  nature  might  be  lost, 
the  organ  of  smelling  was  constructed  to  catch  the  invisi- 
ble odoriferous  efiluvia  which  are  continually  wafted 
through  the  air.  For  this  purpose  it  was  requisite  that 
bones,  nerves,  muscles,  arteries,  veins,  cartilages,  and 
membranes,  peculiarly  adapted  to  produce  this  eff'ect, 
should  be  arranged,  and  placed  in  a  certain  part  of  the 
body.  As  the  bones  of  the  head  are  too  hard  for  this 
purpose,  the  nerves  of  smelling  required  to  have  a  bone 
of  a  peculiar  texture,  of  a  spongy  nature,  full   of  little 


WISDOM    AND    GOODNESS    OP    GOD.  63 

holes,  like  a  sieve,  through  which  they  might  transmit 
their  slender  threads  or  branches  to  the  papillous  mem- 
brane which  lines  the  cavities  of  the  bone  and  the  top  of 
the  nostrils.  The  nostrils  required  to  be  cartilaginous  and 
not  fleshy,  in  order  to  be  kept  open,  and  to  be  furnished 
with  appropriate  muscles  to  dilate  or  contract  them  as  the 
occasion  might  require.  It  was  likewise  requisite,  that 
they  should  be  wide  at  the  bottom,  to  collect  a  large  quan- 
tity of  effluvia,  and  narrow  at  the  top  wliere  the  olfactory 
nerves  are  condensed,  that  the  effluvia  might  act  with  the 
greatest  vigour,  and  convey  the  sensation  to  the  brain. 
By  means  of  these  and  numerous  other  contrivances,  con- 
nected with  this  organ,  we  are  enabled  to  distinguish  the 
qualities  of  our  food,  and  to  regale  ourselves  on  those 
invisible  effluvia  which  are  incessantly  flying  off  from  the 
vegetable  tribes,  and  wafted  in  every  direction  through 
the  atmosphere. 

Of  all  the  senses  with  which  we  are  furnished,  the  sense 
of  smelling  is  that  which  we  are  apt  to  consider  as  of 
the  least  importance  ;  and  some  have  even  been  ready  to 
imagine,  that  our  enjoyments  would  scarcely  have  been 
diminished,  althougli  its  organs  had  never  existed.  But, 
it  is  presumptuous  in  man  to  hazard  such  an  opinion  in 
reference  to  any  of  the  beneficent  designs  of  the  Creator. 
We  know  not  what  relation  the  minutest  operations,  with- 
in us  or  around  us,  may  bear  to  the  whole  economy  of  na- 
ture, or  what  disastrous  effects  might  be  produced,  were  a 
single  pin  of  the  machinery  of  our  bodies  broken  or  de- 
stroyed. The  exhalations  which  are,  at  this  moment,  ris- 
ing from  a  putrid  marsh  in  the  centre  of  New  Holland, 
and  hovering,  in  an  invisible  form,  over  that  desolate  re- 
gion, may  be  forming  those  identical  clouds  which,  the 
next  month,  shall  water  our  fields  and  gardens,  and  draw 
forth  from  the  flowers  their  aromatic  perfumes.  The  sense 
of  smelling  may  be  essentially  requisite  to  the  perfection 
of  several  of  the  other  senses  ;  as  we  know  that  the  sense 
of  feeling  is  inseparably  connected  with  the  senses  of  see- 
ing, hearing,  and  tasting. — Let  us  consider,  for  a  moment, 
some  of  the  agencies  which  require  to  be  exerted  when 
this  sense  is  exercised  and  gratified.  Before  we  could  de- 
rive pleasure  from  the  fragrance  of  a  flower,  it  was  requi- 
site that  a  system  of  the  finest  tubes,  filaments,  and  mem- 
5 


34  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

branes,  should  be  organized,  endowed  with  powers  of  ab- 
sorption and  perspiration,  furnished  with  hundreds  of  ves- 
aels  for  conveying  the  sap  through  all  its  parts,  and  perfo- 
rated with  thousands  of  pores  to  give  passage  to  myriad* 
of  odoriferous  particles,  secreted  from  the  internal  juices. 
It  was  also  requisite  that  the  atmosphere  should  be  form- 
ed, for  the  purpose  of  affording  nourishment  to  the  plant, 
and  for  conveying  its  odoriferous  effluvia  to  the  olfactory 
nerves.  The  rains,  the  dews,  the  principle  of  heat,  the 
revolution  of  the  searons,  the  succession  of  day  and  night, 
the  principle  of  evaporation,  the  agitation  of  the  air  by 
winds,  and  the  solar  light, — all  combine  their  influence 
and  their  agencies  in  producing  the  grateful  sensation  we 
feel  from  tlie  smell  of  a  rose.  So  that  the  sense  of  smell- 
ing is  not  only  connected  with  the  agency  of  all  the  terres- 
trial elements  around  us,  but  bears  a  relation  to  the  vast 
globe  of  the  sun  himself;  for  an  energy  exerted  at  the 
distance  of  ninety-five  millions  of  miles,  and  a  motion  of 
200,000  miles,  every  second,  in  the  particles  of  light,  are 
necessary  to  its  existence  ;  and  consequently,  it  forms  one 
of  the  subordinate  ends  for  which  that  luminary  was  crea- 
ted : — and,  being  related  to  the  sun,  it  may  bear  a  certain 
relation  to  similar  agencies  which  that  central  globe  is  pro- 
ducing among  the  inhabitants  of  surrounding  worlds. 

Thus  it  appears,  that  the  various  senses  of  man,  as  well 
a«  the  external  objects  which  contribute  to  their  gratifica- 
tion, are  the  results  of  Infinite  Wisdom  and  Goodness,  and 
calculated  to  promote  the  happiness  of  sensitive  and  intel- 
ligent beings. 

But,  before  any  one  of  these  senses  could  perform  its 
functions,  it  required  to  be  united  with  a  most  wonderful 
system  of  organization.  The  heart  required  to  be  endow- 
ed with  an  immense  degree  of  muscular  power,  and  to  b« 
set  in  action  in  the  centre  of  this  complicated  system — 
hundreds  of  arteries  required  to  be  bored,  and  ramified, 
and  arranged,  to  convey  tlie  blood  to  its  remotest  extrem- 
ities, and  hundreds  of  veins  to  bring  it  back  again  to  it» 
reservoir — thousands  of  lacteal  and  lymphatic  tubes  to 
absorb  nutriment  from  the  food,  and  convey  it  to  the  cir- 
culating fluid — thousands  of  glands  to  secrete  humours 
that  are  noxious  or  redundant  from  the  mass  of  blood,  and 
emunctories  to   throw    them   off  from  the   system — hun- 


WISDOM    AND    GOODNESS    OP    GOD.  55 

dreds  of  muscles  for  moving  the  different  members  of  the 
body,  and  for  conveying  the  whole  corporeal  frame  from 
place  to  place — hundreds  of  fine  cords  infinitely  ramilied 
over  the  whole  body,  to  convey  sensation  to  all  its  parts, 
and  thousands  of  millions  of  perforations  to  be  made  in  the 
gltin,  through  which  the  insensible  perspiration  might 
continually  flow.  To  support  this  fine  and  delicate  sys- 
tem of  vessels,  hundreds  of  bones  of  diversified  forms,  and 
different  sizes,  and  connected  together  by  various  modei 
of  articulation,  required  to  be  constructed  and  arranged, 
and  nicely  adapted  to  their  peculiar  functions  ;  and  hun- 
dreds of  tendons  and  ligaments,  to  connect  these  bones 
with  the  muscles,  and  with  every  other  part  of  the  animal 
frame.  This  machine  required  to  be  preserved  in  con- 
stant action,  whether  we  be  sleeping  or  waking,  sitting  or 
standing,  in  motion  or  at  rest.  The  heart  required  to 
give  ninety- six  thousand  strokes  every  twenty-four  houre, 
to  send  off  streams  of  the  vital  fluid  through  hundreds  of 
tubes,  and  to  impel  the  whole  mass  of  blood  through  every 
part  of  the  body  every  four  minutes.  The  lungs  required 
to  be  in  constant  play,  expanding  and  contracting  their 
thousand  vesicles,  at  least  twenty  times  every  minute,  to 
imbibe  the  oxygen  of  the  atmosphere,  and  to  transmit  its 
enlivening  influence  to  the  circulating  fluids — the  stomach 
to  be  dissolving  the  food,  and  preparing  it  for  the  nour- 
ishment of  the  body — the  liver  and  kidneys  to  be  drawir.g 
off  their  secretions — the  lacteals  to  be  extracting  nutri- 
tious particles,  to  be  conveyed,  by  the  absorbent  vessels, 
into  the  mass  of  the  blood — and  the  perspiration,  which 
might  otherwise  clog  the  wheels  of  the  whole  machine, 
to  be  thrown  off  incessantly  through  millions  of  pores. 
All  this  curious  and  delicate  machinery,  constructed  of  the 
most  flabby  substances,  required  to  be  put  in  motion,  and 
to  be  preserved  in  action  every  moment,  before  we  could 
contemplate  the  beauties  of  a  landscape,  be  delighted 
with  the  sounds  of  music,  or  inhale  the  fragrance  of  a 
rose. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice,  that,  in  the  construction  and  ar- 
rangement of  all  these  numerous  and  complicated  parts 
and  functions,  there  is  not  a  single  instance,  that  any  phy- 
siologist can  produce,  in  which  pain  is  the  object  of  the 
contrivance.     Of  all  the  thousands  of  adaptations  which 


56  THE    PinLOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

Infinite  Wisdom  has  contrived,  tliere  is  not  one  but  what 
has  for  its  object,  the  communication  of  pleasure  to  the 
sentient  being  in  which  it  is  found. — If  a  number  of  small 
muscles  are  connected  with  the  eye,  it  is  for  the  purpose 
of  rendering  that  organ  susceptible  of  a  quick  and  easy 
motion  in  every  direction,  to  meet  every  exigence.  If 
the  arteries  are  furnished  with  numerous  valves,  opening 
only  in  one  direction,  it  is  intended  to  prevent  the  blood 
from  returning  by  a  wrong  course,  and  endangering  the 
whole  structure  of  the  animal  machine.  If  a  joint  is  form- 
ed to  move  only  in  one  direction,  as  the  joints  of  the 
fingers,  it  is  intended  to  prevent  those  inconveniences 
which  would  inevitably  have  been  felt,  had  it  been  capable 
of  moving  in  every  direction.  If  another  kind  of  joint  is 
constructed  so  as  to  move  in  every  direction,  it  is  intended 
to  enable  us  to  perform,  with  facility,  those  movements 
and  operations  which  would  otherwise  have  been  either 
impossible,  or  have  been  attended  with  the  greatest  incon- 
venience and  pain. — There  are  certain  parts  connected 
with  the  human  frame,  whose  precise  use  cannot  be  ac- 
curately determined,  bnt  this  is  owing  to  our  limited 
knowledge  of  the  various  functions  which  are  requisite 
to  be  performed  in  this  complicated  machine.  In  no  in- 
stance whatever  can  it  be  shown,  that  the  infliction  of 
pain  is  the  object  of  any  one  part  or  function  of  whose 
use  we  are  uncertain  ; — and  it  is  conformable  to  the  dic- 
tates of  the  soundest  reason  to  conclude,  that,  since  every 
part,  whose  use  we  can  ascertain,  is  adapted  to  communi- 
cate pleasure,  every  other  part,  throughout  every  branch 
of  the  animal  system,  is  calculated  to  produce  a  similar 
effect. 

It  is  true,  indeed,  that  pain  is  frequently  felt  in  the 
different  members  which  compose  our  corporeal  system  ; 
but  this  is  not  owing  to  its  original  construction,  but  to 
the  derangement  which  its  parts  receive,  either  from  in- 
ternal disease  or  from  external  violence  :  and  such  con- 
sequences are  the  effects,  either  of  the  folly  of  man,  in 
exposing  his  body  to  danger  or  in  using  its  members  for 
improper  purposes, — or  of  the  physical  changes  which 
have  happened  in  the  system  of  nature  since  man  was 
created, — or    of    those   depraved  and   immoral   passiou* 


•WISDOM    AND    GOODNESS    OF    GOD.  57 

"Which  SO  frequently   agitate  and   convulse  his   corporeal 
frame. 

Let  us  now  endeavour,  if  we  can,  to  sum  up  a  few  of 
the  blessings  which  we  enjoy  from  these  wise  arrange- 
ments of  our  Beneficent  Creator.  In  our  bodies  there  are 
reckoned  245  hones,  each  of  them  having  forty  distinct 
scopes  or  intentions,  and  446  muscles  for  the  purpose  of 
motion,  each  having  at  least  ten  several  intentions.  All 
tliese  are  ready  every  moment  to  perform  their  functions  ; 
and  every  breath  we  draw,  whether  we  be  in  motion  or  at 
rest,  asleep  or  awake,  a  hundred  muscles  at  least  are  in 
constant  action.  In  the  act  of  breathing,  we  respire  at 
least  twenty  times  every  miimte  ;  the  heart  exerts  its 
muscular  force  in  propelling  the  blood  into  the  arterie  s 
sixty  times  every  minute  ;  tiie  stomach  and  abdominal 
muscles  are  every  moment  in  action,  and  the  curious  little 
bones  of  the  ear  are  ever  ready  to  convey  sensations  of 
the  softest  whisper  to  the  brain.  So  that,  without  an  hy- 
perbole, or  the  least  extravagance  of  expression,  it  may 
truly  and  literally  be  said,  that  we  enjoy  a  thousand  bles- 
sings evcjy  mi7iute,  3.n{\,  consequently,  sixty  thousand  every 
hour,  and  one  million  four  hundred  and  forty  thousand  every 
day.  For,  if  any  one  of  these  numerous  functions  were  to 
stop,  or  to  be  interrupted,  pain,  and  even  deatii  iisclf  might 
be  induced.  Let  us  ask  the  man  wlio  is  gasping  for  breath, 
under  an  incurable  asthma,  or  him  wlio  is  smarting  nnd*.r 
the  pain  of  a  toothache,  or  him  who  has  wounded  a 
nerve,  an  artery,  or  a  vein,  or  him  who  has  dislocated 
his  shoulder-blade,  if  he  would  not  consider  it  as  a  pecu- 
liar blessing  to  have  the  functions  of  nature  restored  to 
their  original  action  ?  And  if  one  member  out  of  joint, 
or  one  function  out  of  order,  produces  so  mucli  pain 
Rud  uneasiness,  how  grateful  ought  we  to  feel  for  the 
thousands  of  blessings  we  enjoy  every  moment, 
while  the  wheels  of  the  animal  machine  are  moving 
on  with  smoothness  and  harmony !  If  we  consider 
tlie  number  of  years  during  which  these  blessings  have 
been  continued, — if  we  consider  the  mercies  receiv- 
ed in  cliildhood,  which  have  been  long  overlooked 
or  forgotten, — if  we  count  the  many  nights  which  we  hav*- 
passed  in  sound  repose,  and  the  many  day.s  we  have  en- 
joyed without  bodily  pain, — if  we  reflect  on  the  i  «- 
6* 


ft8  THE    PraLOSOPHY    OP    RELJGfOH* 

merous  objects  of  sublimity  and  beauty  with  which  o«» 
oyea  have  been  delighted,  the  numerous  sounds  whicii  have 
charmed  our  ears  and  cheered  our  hearts^  and  the  numer- 
ous gratifications  whicli  our  other  senses  have  received ; 
if  we  consider  how  often  food  has  been  provided  and  ad- 
ministered for  the  nourishment  of  our  bodies,  and  from 
how  many  visible  and  invisible  dangers  we  have  been  de- 
livered— and,  if  we  view  all  these  countless  blessings  a» 
proceeding  every  moment  from  Him,  "  whose  hands  have 
made  and  fashioned  us,"  and  who  "  breathed  into  our 
nostrils  the  breath  of  life,"  can  we  forbear  to  recognise  our 
Almighty  Benefactor  as  worthy  of  our  supreme  affectiou 
and  our  most  lively  gratitude  ? 

"  For  rao,  w^hen  I  forget  the  darling  themes- 
Bo  ray  tonsruo  mute,  may  fancy   paint  no  more. 
And,  dc^d  to  joy,  forget  my  lieart  to  beat," 

Under  an  impression  of  the  diversified  agencies  of  Dtvme 
Wisdom  which  are  incessantly  contributing  to  our  enjoy- 
ment,  and  of  the  vast  profusion  of  our  Creator's  benefi- 
cence which  we  behold  around  us,  and  experience  every 
passing  hour,  can  we  forbear  exclaiming  with  the  enrap- 
tured Poet : — 

"  Whon  all  thy  raorcic«,  O  ray  God  i 

My  rising  soul  surveys, 
Transported  with  the  view,  I'm  lost 

In  wonder,  love,  and  praise. 
Through  every  period  of  my  life 

Thy  goodness  I'll  proclaim  ; 
And,  after  dcatli,  in  distant  worlds. 

Renew  the  glorious  theme. 
Through  all  eternity  to  Theo 

A  joyful  song  I'll  raise ;  , 

For,  oh  !  eternity's  too  short 

To  utter  all  thy  praise.*' 

If,  then,  the  construction  of  our  bodies,  and  the  t«rTe«- 
trial  scene  in  which  we  are  placed,  present  so  many  strilt- 
ing  displays  of  Wisdom  and  Benevolence,  what  an  aston- 
ishing and  transporting  scene  of  Divine  Benignity  would 
burst  upon  the  view,  were  we  permitted  to  explore  tho««; 
more  extensive  provinces  of  the  empire  of  Omnipotence, 
where  physical  and  moral  evil  have  never  shed  their  baleful 


WISDOM    AND    GOODNESS    OF    000.  W 

influence  to  interrupt  the  happiness  of  intellectual  natures  i 
Could  we  soar  beyond  the  regions  of  the  planetary  system ; 
could  we  penetrate   into  that   immensity  of  worlds  and  be- 
ings which  are  scattered  in  magnificent  prolusion  through 
the  boundless  fields  of  ether ;  could  we  draw  aside  the  veil 
which  now  conceals  the   grandeur  and  beauty  of  their  phy- 
sical economy  and  arrangements  ;  could  we  behold  their  in- 
habitants arrayed  in  robes  of  beauty,  with  extuic  joy  beam- 
ing from  their  countenances,  basking  perpetually  in  the  re- 
gions of  bliss,  united  to  one  another  by  indissoluble  bands 
of  love  and  affection,  without  the  least  apprehension  of  evil, 
or  of  an  interruption  to  their  enjoyments  ;  and  looking  for- 
ward with  confidence  to  an  interminable  succession  of  de- 
lighted existence;  could  we   retrace   the   history  of  their 
Creator's  dispensations  towards  tliem  since  the  first  moment 
of  their  existence,  and  the  peculiar  displays  of  divine  glo- 
ry and  Benignity,   that  may  occasionally  be   exhibited  to 
their  view,— it  is  more  than  probable,  that  all  the  displays 
of  Wisdom  and   Benevolence  which  we  now   behold,  nu- 
merous as  they  are,  would  be  thrown  completely  into  the 
shade,  and  that  tbis  world  would    appear  only  as  a  Lazar- 
kouse,  when  compared   with  the    bright   and   transporting 
scenes  of  the  celestial  worlds.     This  we  are  infallibly  led 
to  conclude,  in  regard  to  a  certain  class  of  intelligen<^s  m 
the  future   state,  by  the  express  declarations  of  Scripture- 
For  thus  it  is  written,  "  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard* 
neither  have  entered  into  the  heart   of  man,  the  thingi 
which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him."     And 
if  renovated  men  shall  experience  such    superior  enjoy- 
ments in  the  eternal  world,   there  can  be  no  doubt  that  all 
those   intelligences,  in   every  region,  who  have  retained 
their  primitive  integrity,  are  at  this  moment  in  the  posses- 
fiion  of   similar   transporting  enjoyments.     It  must,  there- 
fore, have  an  additional  tendency  to  elevate  our  affection# 
to  the  Supreme   Intelligence,  when  we  view  Him  not  only 
communicating   happiness  to  the   various  tribes   of  being! 
which  people  our  globe,  but  also  distributing  streams  of 
felicity  in   boundless    profusion,    among  the  inhabitants  of 
unnumbered  worlds. 

I  shall  now  conclude  my  illustrations  of  this  topic,  by  exr 
hibiting  a  few  instances  of  the  Wisdom  and  Goodness  of 
God  as  delineated  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures. 


60  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RKLIGION, 

*'  Tlie  Lord  is  good  to  all,  and  his  lender  mercies  are 
OA'er  all  his  works.  lie  siretclied  forth  the  lieavens,  and 
laid  the  foundation  of  the  earth,  and  formeth  the  spirit  of 
man  within  him.  lie  planted  the  ear,  and  formed  th« 
eye ;  and  he  hrcathcd  into  our  nostrils  the  breath  of  life. 
In  his  hand  is  the  soul  of  every  living  thing,  and  the  breath 
of  all  mankind.  AVilh  him  is  wisdom  and  strength,  and 
his  understanding  is  infinite.  He  is  wonderful  in  coun- 
sel, and  excellent  in  working.  He  hath  established  the 
world  by  his  wisdom,  and  stretched  out  the  heavens  by 
his  understanding.  Q  the  depth  of  the  riches  both  of  the 
wisdom  and  the  knowledge  of  God !  how  unsearchable  are 
his  operations,  and  his  w  ays  past  finding  out !  He  caus- 
eth  the  vapours  to  ascend  from  the  ends  of  the  earth  ; 
he  bindeth  up  the  v/aters  in  his  thick  clouds,  and  the  cloud 
is  not  rent  under  them.  He  hath  compasseil  tlie  waters 
with  bounds,  until  the  day  and  night  come  to  an  end. 
He  visitelh  the  earth  and  waterelh  it ;  he  greatly  enrich- 
eth  it  with  rivers ;  he  preparcth  corn  for  its  iuliabiiants  ; 
he  watereth  the  ridges  thereof  abundantly ;  lie  selllcth  tho 
furrows  thereof;  he  maketh  it  soft  with  showeis  ;  he  bles- 
eeth  the  springing  tlieieof;  he  crowncth  the  year  with 
bis  ffoodness,  and  his  paths  drop  fatness.  The  pastures 
are  clothed  with  flocks  ;  the  valleys  are  covered  over  with 
corn,  and  the  little  hills  are  encircled  with  joy.* 

"  He  sendeth  the  springs  into  the  valleys  whi(;h  nm 
smong  the  hills  ;  ihey  give  drink  to  every  beast  of  the  field. 
Beside  these  springs  the  fowls  of  heaven  have  iheir  habi- 
tfltion,  which  sing  among  the  branches.  He  causeih 
the  grass  to  grow  for  the  cattle,  and  herb  for  the  servic« 
of  man ;  and  wine  that  maketh  glad  the  heart  of  man, 
and  oil  that  maketh  his  face  to  shine,  and  bread  that 
•trenglbeneth  his  heart.  He  planted  the  tall  trees  and  ihe 
cedars  of  licbanon,  where  the  birds  make  their  nests,  and 
the  storks  their  dwellings.  The  high  hills  are  a  refug« 
for  the  wild  goats,  and  the  rocks  for  the  conies.  He  a{>- 
pointcd  the  moon  for  seasons,  and  the  siin  to  enlighten  iho 


*  In  this,  and  several  other  quotations  from  ihe  Sctiptures,  fh-e 
Rltlal  renderin<j  from  the  Hebrew  is  substituted  in  jilaee  of  lite  co^a- 
noa  translation,  and  the  suppUments  are  frequently  omitted. 


WISDOM    AND    GOODNE&S    OF    GOD.  61 

world  ;  he  makes  darkness  a  curtain  for  tlie  night,  till  the 
sun  arise,  when  man  goelh  forth  to  his  work  and  to  his 
labour  till  the  evening.  How  manifold  are  thy  works,  O 
Lord !  In  wisdom  hast  thou  made  them  all :  the  earth  ia 
full  of  thy  riches  ;  so  is  the  great  and  wide  sea  whereia 
are  things  creeping  innumerable,  both  small  and  great 
beasts.  These  all  wait  upon  thee,  that  thou  mayest  give 
them  tlieir  meat  in  due  season.  Thou  givest  them — they 
gather  ;  thou  openest  thine  hand — they  are  filled  with  good. 
Thou  hidest  thy  face — they  are  troubled ;  thou  sendest 
forth  thy  Spirit — they  are  created  ;  and  thou  renewest  the 
face  of  the  earth.  The  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  endure 
for  ever ;  Jehovah  shall  rejoice  in  all  his  works.  He  ia 
Lord  of  heaven  and  earth  ;  he  giveth  to  all,  life,  and 
breath,  and  all  things  ;  he  hath  made  of  one  blood  all  na- 
tions of  men,  to  dwell  on  all  the  face  of  the  earth  ;  and 
hath  determined  the  times  before  appointed,  and  the 
bounds  of  their  habitation.  For  in  him  we  live,  and  move, 
and  have  our  being.  I  will  sing  unto  Jehovah  as  long  as  I 
live  ;  I  will  sing  praises  to  my  Uod,  while  I  have  my  being ; 
I  will  utter  abundantly  the  memory  of  his  great  goodness, 
and  speak  of  all  his  wondrous  works." 

The  inspired  writers  rise  to  still  higher  strains  when 
they  celebrate  the  Divine  Goodness  in  reference  to  our 
eternal  salvation. 

"  Praise  ye  Jehovah,  for  Jehovah  is  good  ;  he  remem- 
bered us  in  our  low  estate,  for  his  mercy  endureth  for 
ever.  I  will  praise  thee,  O  Lord  my  God,  with  all  my 
hearty  and  I  will  glorify  thy  name  for  ever  more  ;  for  great 
is  thy  mercy  toward  me,  and  thou  hast  delivered  my  soul 
from  the  lowest  hell. — God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he 
gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  w^hosoever  believeth  on 
him  should  not  perish  but  have  everlasting  life.  He  sent 
an  angel  from  the  celestial  glory  to  announce  his  birth ; 
and  a  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host  to  proclaim,  Glory 
to  God  in  the  highest,  peace  on  earth,  and  goodwill  to 
men.  He  spared  not  his  own  Son  but  delivered  him  up 
for  us  all — and  shall  he  not  with  him  also  freely  give  us 
all  things  ?  Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  who  hath  blessed  us  with  all  spiritual  bless- 
ings in  heavenly  things  in  Christ  ;  in  whom  we  have  re- 
daii.ption  through  his   blood,  the   forgiveness  of  sins,   at>- 


(52  THE    PIIILOSOrHY    OF    RELIGION. 

eording  to  the  riches  of  his  grace. — Bless  the  Lord,  0  my 
«oul,  and  all  that  is  within  me  bless  his  holy  name  ;  who 
forgiveth  all  thine  iniquities,  who  healeth  all  thy  diseases  ; 
who  redeemeth  thy  life  from  destruction,  and  crowneth 
thee  with  loving  kindness  and  tender  mercies.  As  the 
heaven  is  high  above  the  earth,  so  great  is  his  mercy  to- 
ward them  that  fear  him.  The  mercy  of  Jehovah  is  from 
everlasting  to  everlasting,  upon  them  that  fear  him  ;  and 
his  righteousness  unto  children's  children. — Many,  O  Lord 
my  God,  are  thy  wonderful  works,  which  thou  hast  done, 
and  thy  thoughts  to  iis-ward,  they  cannot  be  reckoned  up 
in  order  unto  thee ;  if  I  would  declare  and  speak  of  them, 
they  are  more  than  can  be  numbered. — I  will  praise  thee, 
for  I  am  fearfully  and  wonderfully  made  :  marvellous 
are  thy  works.  How  precious  are  thy  thoughts  (or  de- 
signs) towards  me,  O  God  !  how  great  is  the  sum  of  them  ! 
If  I  should  count  them,  they  are  more  in  number  than  tha 
aand." 

Thus  it  appears,  that  both  the  system  of  Nature,  and 
the  system  of  revelation,  concur  in  exhibiting  the  Wisdom 
and  benevolence  of  the  Deity  as  calculated  to  excite  the 
highest  degree  of  ardent  aflection  in  the  minds  of  the 
whole  intelligent  creation.  If  an  atom  of  gratitude  ig 
due  to  an  earthly  benefactor,  it  is  impossible  to  set 
bounds  to  that  affection  and  gratitude  which  ought  inces- 
santly to  rise  in  our  hearts  tow^ards  the  Creator  of  the 
universe,  who  is  the  "  Father  of  mercies,  and  the  God  of 
all  consolation."  And,  therefore,  we  need  not  wonder, 
that  "  holy  men  of  old,"  whose  minds  were  overpowered 
with  this  sacred  emotion,  broke  out  into  language  which 
would  be  deemed  extravagant,  by  the  fiigid  moralists  of 
the  present  age.  Under  a  sense  of  the  unbounded  love 
and  goodness  of  God,  the  Psalmist  felt  his  heart  elated, 
and  formed  these  pious  resolutions  :  "  Seven  times  a  day 
will  I  praise  thee,  O  Lord  !  At  midnight  will  1  rise  to 
give  thanks  to  thee,  because  of  thy  righteous  precepts, 
I  will  rejoice  in  the  way  of  thy  precepts,  as  much  as  in  all 
riches.  The  law  of  thy  mouth  is  better  unto  me  than 
thousands  of  gold  and  silver.  O,  how  love  I  thy  law  ! 
it  is  my  meditation  all  the  day.  I  will  speak  of  thy  tes- 
timonies before  kings,  and  will  not  be  ashamed  of  thy 
•ommandraeuts.      Whom  have   I   in   heaven   but   thee  ? 


WISDOM    AND    GOODNESS    OF    GOD.  09 

and  there  is  none  upon  earth  that  I  desire,  besides  the«. 
As  the  hart  panteth  alter  the  brooks  of  water,  so  panteth 
my  soul  after  thee,  O  God !"  Under  similar  emotions, 
the  Apostle  Paul  exclaims,  "  I  am  persuaded  that  neither 
death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers, 
nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  shall  be  able  to 
separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  J»- 
«us  our  Lord." 


SECTION  V. 

On  the  Mercy  and  Patience  of  God, 

Another  feature  in  the  divine  character,  which  is  pe- 
miliarly  calculated  to  excite  admiration,  affection,  and  gra^ 
titude,  is  the  Mercy  and  Patience  of  God. 

Mercy  has  its  source  in  the  Divine  Goodness,  and  may 
be  considered  as  a  particular  modification  of  the  Benev- 
olence of  the  Deity.  Goodness  is  the  ge?ius,  Mercy 
the  species.  The  Goodness  of  God  extends  to  all  th« 
creatures  he  has  formed,  of  whatever  description  o? 
character, — to  the  fowls  of  the  air,  the  fishes  of  the 
»ea,  the  microscopic  animalcula,  and  the  most  wicked 
class  of  human  beings,  as  well  as  to  angels,  archan- 
gels, and  other  superior  intelligences.  Mercy  can  have 
a  reference  only  to  those  who  have  sinned  against  their 
Maker,  and  rendered  themselves  unworthy  of  his  favours. 
It  consists  in  the  bestowment  of  blessings  upon  those  who 
have  forfeited  every  claim  to  them,  and  have  rendered 
themselves  obnoxious  to  punishment.  It  cannot  be  ex- 
ercised toward  "  the  angels  who  have  kept  their  first  es- 
tate," or  towards  any  other  class  of  holy  intelligences, 
because  they  do  not  stand  in  need  of  its  exercise. — The 
Patience  or  Forbearance  of  God,  is  that  attribute  of  his 
nature  which  consists  in  his  bearing  long  with  sinners, 
and  refraining  from  inflicting  deserved  punishment,  not- 
withstanding their  impenitence,  and  long-continued  pro- 
vocations. 

These  attributes  are  seldom  displayed,  in  our  world,  by 
one  man,  or  class   of  men,  towards    another.     Instead  of 


64  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

clemency,  mercy,  and  forbearance,  we  find  in  the  charac- 
ter of  mankind,  as  delineated  in  the  page  of  history,  tho 
principle  of  revenge  operating  more  powerfully  than  al- 
most any  other  disposition ;  and,  therefore,  when  any 
striking  instance  of  mercy  and  long-suffering  is  exhibited 
in  human  conduct,  we  are  disposed  to  wonder  at  it,  and 
to  admire  it  as  an  extraordinary  moral  phenomenon. 
"When  we  behold  a  personage  who  is  possessed  of  every 
degree  of  moral  and  physical  power  for  crushing  his  en- 
emies— yet  remaining  calm  and  tranquil,  and  forbearing  to 
execute  deserved  punishment,  notwithstanding  repeated 
insults  and  injuries,  we  are  led  to  admire  such  qualities, 
as  indicating  a  certain  degree  of  greatness  and  benevo- 
lence of  mind.  On  this  prmciple,  we  admire  the  forbear- 
ance of  David,  the  anointed  king  of  Israel,  towards  Saul, 
his  bitterest  enemy,  when  he  had  an  opportunity  of  slay- 
ing him  at  the  cave  of  En-gedi;  and  afterwards,  when  he 
•was  sleeping  in  a  trench  at  Hachila; — and  at  the  clem- 
ency which  he  exercised  towards  Shimei,  who  had  cursed 
and  insulted  him,  and  treated  him  most  reproachfully. 
On  the  same  principle,  we  admire  the  conduct  of  Sir  Wal- 
ter Raleigh,  a  man  of  known  courage  and  honour,  towards 
a  certain  rash,  hot-headed  youth.  Being  very  injuriously 
treated  by  this  impertinent  mortal,  who  next  proceeded 
to  challenge  him,  and,  on  his  refusal,  spit  on  him,  and  that 
too  in  public  ; — the  kniglit,  taking  out  his  handkerchief, 
with  great  calmness,  made  him  only  this  reply  :  "  Young 
man,  if  I  could  as  easily  wipe  your  blood  from  my  con- 
science, as  I  can  this  injury  from  my  face,  I  \vould  this 
moment  take  away  your  life." 

In  order  to  exhibit  the  Mercy  and  Long-suffering  of 
the  Deity  in  their  true  light,  let  us  consider,  for  a  moment, 
Bome  of  the  leading  features  in  tlie  conduct  and  the  cha- 
racter of  mankind. — Whether  we  go  back  to  the  remote 
ages  of  antiquity,  or  review  the  presient  moral  state  of 
the  inhabitants  of  our  globe,  we  shall  find  the  following, 
among  mauy  other  similar  traits,  in  the  character  of  the 
great  mass  of  this  world's  population  : — A?i  utter  forget- 
fulness  of  God.,  and  the  prevalence  of  abominable  idola- 
tries. 'iMiough  an  invisible  and  Omnij)otent  energy  may 
be  clearly  perceived  in  that  majestic  machinery  by  which 
the  vault  of  heaven  appears  to  be  whirled  round  our  globe 


MERCY     AND    FORBEARANCE    OF    GOD.  65 

from  day  to  day ;  and  though  eyery  returning  season 
proclaims  the  exuberant  Goodness  of  that  Being  who 
arranged  our  terrestrial  habitation, — yet,  of  the  great 
majority  of  human  beings  that  have  hitherto  existed,  or  now 
exist,  it  may  with  truth  be  said,  that  "  God  is  not  in  all 
their  thoughts,  and  the  fear  of  God  is  not  before  their 
eyes."  And  how  grovelling  have  been  the  conceptions 
of  those  who  have  professed  to  offer  their  adorations  to  a 
superior  Intelligence !  They  have  changed  the  glory  of 
the  incorruptible  God,  into  an  image  made  like  to  cor- 
ruptible man,  and  have  invested  with  the  attributes  of 
Divinity,  a  block  of  marble,  the  stock  of  a  tree,  a  stupid 
ox,  and  a  crav\^ling  reptile  ;  to  which  they  have  paid  that 
worship  and  homage  which  were  due  to  the  Almighty 
.  Maker  of  heaven  and  earth. — Blasphemy  and  Impiety  is 
another  characteristic  of  the  majority  of  our  species. 
How  many  have  there  been  of  our  wretched  race  in  all 
ages,  and  how  many  are  there  in  the  present  age,  who 
"  set  their  mouths  against  the  heavens  in  their  blasphe- 
mous talk,"  and  "  dare  defy  the  Omnipotent  to  arms  !" 
They  say  to  God,  "  Depart  from  us,  for  we  desire  not 
the  knowledge  of  thy  ways :  What  is  the  Almighty, 
that  we  should  serve  him?  and  what  profit  should  we 
have,  if  we  pray  unto  him  ?"  While  his  hand  is  making 
their  pulse  to  beat,  and  their  lungs  to  play,  and  while  he 
is  distributing  to  them  corn,  and  wine,  and  fruits,  in  rich 
abundance,  they  are  blaspheming  his  venerable  Majesty, 
and  prostituting  these  very  blessings  for  the  purpose  of 
pouring  dishonour  on  his  name. 

The  diabolical  passions  which  men  have  displayed  to- 
wards one  another,  is  another  striking  trait  in  their  cha- 
racter. War  has  been  their  employment  and  their  de- 
light in  every  age.  Thousands  of  rational  beings  of  the 
same  species  have  sei  themselves  in  array  against  thou- 
sands, and  have  levelled  at  each  other  spears,  and  ar- 
rows, and  darts,  and  musquetry,  and  cannon,  and  every 
other  instrument  of  destruction,  till  legs,  and  arms,  and 
skulls,  and  brains,  were  mingled  with  the  dust — till  the 
earth  was  drenched  with  human  gore — till  cities,  and 
towns,  and  villages,  were  tumbled  into  ruins,  or  given  up 
as  a  prey  to  the  dovouring  flames — and  till  the  bounties 
of  Providence,  which  God  had  provided  for  man  and 
6 


66  THE    PHILOSOrilY    OF    RELIGION'. 

beast,  were  destroyed,  and  trampled  down  as  the  mire 
of  the  streets.  And,  wliat  adds  to  the  enormity  of  such 
dreadful  passions,  they  have  ol'ten  had  the  effrontery  to 
implore  the  assistance  of  the  God  of  mercy  in  this  work 
of  horror  and  destruction.  When,  to  all  these  abomina- 
ble dispositions  and  practices,  we  add,  the  numerous 
other  acts  of  atrocity,  that  are  daily  committed  in  every 
quarter  of  the  world, — the  oppression  and  injustice 
which  the  poor,  the  widow,  and  the  fatherless  have  suf- 
fered from  tlie  overwhelming  hand  of  Power ;  the  perse- 
cution? which  Tyranny  has  inflicted  on  the  select  few, 
who  have  raised  their  voices  against  such  abominations  : 
the  falsehood,  and  treachery,  and  perjury,  which  are  ram- 
pant in  every  land ;  the  lewd  and  unnatural  crimes  that 
are  daily  committed ;  the  thefts,  and  murders,  and  assas- 
sinations, that  are  incessantly  perpetrating  in  some  one 
region  of  the  w^orld  or  another  ;  the  haughty  pride  and 
arrogance  which  so  many  of  the  puny  sons  of  men  as- 
sume ;  the  murmurings  and  complainings  at  the  dispen- 
sations of  Providence,  and  the  base  ingratitude  w-ith  which 
the  majority  of  mankind  receive  the  bounties  of  Heaven  : — 
and  when  we  consider,  for  how  many  thousands  of  years 
these  abominable  dispositions  have  been  displayed,  we 
have  reason  to  wonder  that  condign  pmiishmcnt  is  not 
speedily  executed,  and  that  the  Almighty  docs  not  inter- 
pose his  Omnipotence,  to  shatter  this  globe  to  atoms, 
and  to  bury  its  inhabitants  in  the  gulf  of  everlasting  ob- 
livion. 

Yet,  notwithstanding  tlicse  depraved  and  ungratefid 
dispositions ;  notwithstanding  that  this  spacious  world, 
which  was  erected  for  a  temple  to  the  Deity,  has  been 
turned  into  a  temple  of  idols,  its  seas  and  rivers  stained, 
and  its  fields  drenched  with  the  blood  of  millions  of  hu- 
man beings,  and  its  cities  transformed  into  a  sink  of  mor- 
al pollution ;  in  spite  of  ail  these  innumerable  and  aggra- 
vated provocations,  the  God  of  heaven  still  exercises 
his  JNIercy,  Long-suffering,  and  Forbearance.  He  im- 
pels the  earth  in  its  annual  and  diurnal  course,  to  bring 
about  the  interchanges  of  day  and  night,  and  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  the  seasons ;  he  makes  his  sun  to  arise  on  the 
world,  to  cheer  the  nations  with  his  light  and  heat ;  he 
sends  his  rains,  to    refresh   the  fields,  both  of  "  the  just, 


MERCY    AND    FORBEARAN'CE    OF    GOD.  67 

and  of  the  unjust ;"  he  causes  the  trees,  the  herbs,  and  the 
flowers,  to  bud  and  blossom  every  returning  sprhii^ ;  he 
ripens  the  fields  in  harvest ;  he  crowns  the  year  with  his 
bounty,  and  encircles  the  little  hills  with  rejoicing.  Instead 
of  "sending  forth  his  mighty  M'inds,"  in  incessant  storms 
and  hurricanes,  to  tear  up  whole  forests  by  their  roots, 
and  to  lay  waste  the  productions  of  the  soil,  he  fans  the 
groves  and  the  lawns  with  gentle  breezes,  and  odorifer- 
ous gales.  Instead  of  opening  the  cataracts  of  heaven, 
and  dashing  down  overwhelming  torrents,  to  deluge  the 
plains,  and  frustrate  the  hopes  of  man,  he  refreshes  the 
parched  ground  with  gentle  showers,  ais  if  they  proceeded 
from  a  watering-pot.  Instead  of  confining  our  sensitive 
enjoyments  to  bread  and  water,  as  if  we  were  the  tenants 
of  a  jail,  he  has  strewed  our  gardens  and  fields  with  ev- 
ery variety  of  luxuriant  delicacies,  to  gratify  every  appetite. 
Instead  of  directing  the  lightnings  to  set  on  fire  the 
mountains,  and  to  level  our  cities  to  the  ground,  and  the 
thunders  to  roll  incessantly  around  us,  he  commands  this 
terrific  meteor  to  visit  us  only  at  distant  intervals,  and 
in  its  gentler  operations,  just  to  remind  us  v.hat  tremen- 
dous instruments  of  destruction  he  is  capable  of  wieldino-, 
and  that  we  ought  to  "  be  still  and  know  that  He  is  God," 
and  that  "  he  has  punished  us  less  than  our  iniquities  de- 
serve." O  that  men  would  praise  the  Lord  for  his  Mer- 
cy, and  for  his  Long-suffering  towards  the  children  of 
men ! 

This  character  of  God  is  peculiar  to  himself^  and  cannot 
be  supposed  to  belong,  unless  in  a  very  inferior  degree, 
to  any  created  intelligence.  Were  the  meekest  man  that 
ever  appeared  on  the  theatre,  of  our  world — or  were 
even  one  of  the  highest  intelligences  in  heaven  to  be  inves- 
ted with  a  portion  of  the  attribute  of  omniscience  ;  could 
he  penetrate,  at  one  glance,  over  all  that  hemisphere  of  our 
globe  on  which  the  sun  shines,  and,  at  the  next  glance, 
survey  the  other  hemisphere  wliicli  is  enveloped  in  dark- 
ness ;  could  his  eye  pierce  into  the  secret  chambers  of  every 
habitation  of  human  beings,  in  every  city,  and  town,  and  vil- 
lage, and  especially  into  those  haunts  where  crimes  are  veil- 
ed by  the  shades  of  night  from  every  human  eye  ;  could  he 
behold  at  one  glance  all  the  abominations  that  are  hourly 
perpetrating  in    every   region   of  the    world — the    Pagan 


68  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

worshippers  in  Tibet  and  Hindostan,  performing  their  cru- 
el and  execrable  rites — the  wheels  of  Juggernaut  crushing 
to  death  its  wretched  devotees — the  human  victims  which 
are  tortured  and  sacrificed,  to  gratify  the  ferocity  of  some 
barbarous  chief — the  savage  hordes  of  New  Zealand, 
feasting  on  the  ilesh  of  their  fellow-men,  whom  they  have 
cruelly  butchered,  and  drinking  their  blood  out  of  human 
skulls — the  Indians  of  America,  tearing  with  pincers  the 
flesh  of  their  prisoners,  and  enjoying  a  diabolical  pleasure 
in  beholding  their  torments — the  haughty  Inquisitors  of 
Spain  insulting  their  devoted  victims,  in  the  name  of  the 
merciful  Saviour,  and  preparing  tortures,  and  stakes,  and 
flames  for  their  destruction — the  assassin  plunging  his  dag- 
ger into  his  neighbour's  bosom — the  midnight  robber  en- 
tering into  the  abode  of  honest  industry,  strangling  its 
inmates,  and  carrying  off  their  treasures — the  kidnapper 
tearing  the  poor  African  from  his  wife,  and  children,  and 
native  land — the  unfeeling  planter  and  overseer  lashing 
his  degraded  slaves — tyrants  and  persecutors  dragging 
"  the  excellent  ones  of  the  earth"  to  prisons,  to  dungeons, 
and  to  gibbets — the  malevolent  and  envious  man  devising 
schemes  for  the  ruin  and  destruction  of  his  neighbour — 
the  mutinous  crew,  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean,  rising  up 
against  their  superiors,  slashing  them  with  their  sabres, 
and  plunging  their  bodies  into  the  deep — the  gamester 
ruining  a  whole  family  by  a  throw  of  the  dice — the 
sceptic  sporting  with  the  most  sacred  truths — the  atheist 
attempting  to  dety  the  Omnipotent — the  prostitute  wal- 
lowing in  the  mire  of  uncleanness — tlie  drunkard  blas- 
pheming the  God  of  heaven  in  his  midnight  revels — nu- 
merous tribes  of  human  beings,  in  every  quarter  of  the 
globe,  dashing  out  each  ether's  brains  in  mutual  combat 
— hypocritical  professors  of  religion,  harbouring  malice 
and  revenge  against  their  brethren — and  thousands  of 
other  iniquitous  scenes  which  are  daily  presented  before 
the  pure  eyes  of  Omniscience  :  could  he  behold  all  the 
abominable  acts  of  this  description  which  are  perpetrated  on 
the  surface  of  our  globe,  in  the  course  of  a.  single  day,  and 
were  the  elements  of  nature  under  his  controul,  for  exe- 
cuting condign  punishment  on  transgressois, — it  is  more 
than  probable,  that,  before  another  day  dawned  upon  the 
world,  the  great  globe  we   inhabit   would  be   shattered  to 


MERCY    AND    FORBEARANCE    OF    GOD.  69 

its  centre,  and  enveloped  in  devouring  flames.  For  no 
finite  intelligence  could  refrain  his  indignation  for  a  length 
of  years,  or  could  penetrate  into  all  the  reasons,  why 
"  sentence  against  an  evil  work  should  not  be  speedily  ex- 
ecuted ;"  why  the  murderer  should  not  be  arrested  by 
death  before  his  hand  is  lifted  up  to  strike  ;  why  the  ty- 
rant should  not  be  cut  off  before  his  victims  are  secured ; 
and  why  the  slave  should  be  doomed  to  drag  out  so  many 
long  years  under  the  rod  of  a  relentless  master.  But  (iod 
beholds  all  these  actions  in  all  their  bearings  and  relations 
to  the  plan  of  his  government,  and  in  all  their  eternal 
consequences ;  and,  beholding  them,  he  "  keeps  silence," 
and  refrains  from  executing  immediate  and  deserved  pun- 
ishment. 

This  part  of  the  divine  character,  when  seriously  con- 
sidered, is  calculated  to  excite  strong  emotions  of  admi- 
ration and  wonder ;  and  these  emotions  must  be  raised 
to  their  highest  pitch,  when  we  consider  the  many  in- 
struments of  vengeance  which  are  every  moment  wielded 
by  the  hand  of  the  Almighty.  {{  forbearance  were  ov/ing 
to  impotence,  or  a  want  of  means  for  the  infliction  of  re- 
tributive justice,  our  admiration  would  cease.  But  all 
the  elements  of  nature  are  under  the  immediate  control 
of  the  Governor  of  the  universe  ;  and,  in  a  thousand 
modes  incomprehensible  by  us.  He  could  make  them  the 
instruments  of  his  vengeance  to  chastise  a  guihy  world. 
♦*  For  in  his  hand  is  the  soul  of  every  living  tiling,  and 
the  breath  of  all  mankind.'*  Let  us  consider,  for  a  little, 
some  of  those  agents  which  lie  within  the  spliere  of  our 
knowledge  in  the  system  of  nature." 

Of  all  the  elements  of  nature  there  is  none  more  delight- 
ful and  beautiful  in  its  effects  than  light.  "  Tiuly  the 
light  is  sweet,  and  a  pleasant  thing  it  is  for  the  eyes  to  be- 
hold the  sun."  It  diffuses  a  thousand  shades  of  colouring 
over  the  hills,  the  vales,  the  rivers,  and  the  boundless 
deep,  and  opens  to  our  view  the  glorious  host  of  heaven. 
Yet  this  delightful  visitant,  by  a  slight  modification,  from 
the  hand  of  Omnipotence,  is  capable  of  being  transformed 
into  the  most  tremendous  and  destructive  element  in  na- 
ture. Light  flies  from  the  sun  at  the  rate  of  200,000  miles 
m  a  second  of  time ;  and  it  is  owing  to  its  particles  being 
almost  infinitely  small,  that  we  feel  no  inconvenience  from 
6* 


70  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

their  rapid  velocity.  But,  weie  the  Creator  to  condense 
several  millions  of  these  particles  into  one,  or  impel  them 
with  a  still  greater  velocity,  the  solid  crust  of  our  globe 
would  be  perforated  and  shattered  in  every  point  by  this 
celestial  artillery,  and  its  inhabitants  would  soon  be  bat- 
tered to  atoms. 

Again,  the  atmosphere  which  surrounds  us,  and  in  wiiich 
we  live  and  breathe  ;  which  contains  the  principles  of 
life ;  which  fans  us  with  its  gentle  gales,  and  wafts  to  our 
ears  the  harmonics  of  music — is  capable  of  being  convert- 
ed into  an  instrument  of  terror  and  destruction.  It  is  com- 
posed chiefly  of  two  different  ingredients  ;  one  of  these  is 
tiie  principle  of  flame, — and  if  the  other  ingredient  were 
extracted  from  the  atmosphere,  and  this  principle  left  to 
exert  its  native  energy  without  control,  instantly  tlie  for- 
ests would  be  in  a  blaze  ;  the  hardest  metals,  and  the 
most  solid  rocks,  would  melt  like  wax ;  the  waters  of  the 
ocean  would  add  fuel  to  the  raging  element ;  and,  in  a  few 
minutes,  the  whole  expanse  of  our  globe  would  be  ejivel- 
oped  in  one  devouring  flame. 

Again,  the  globe  on  which  we  reside  is  wiiirling  round 
its  axis  every  twenty-four  hours,  and  is  carried  round  the 
sun  witli  a  still  greater  velocity.  Should  that  Almighty 
arm  wliich  first  impelled  it  in  its  career,  cause  tliese  mo- 
tions suddenly  to  cease,  mountains  would  be  tumbled  into 
the  sea,  forests  torn  up  by  their  roots,  cities  overthrown 
and  demolished,  all  nature  would  be  thrown  into  confu- 
t?ion,  and  terror  and  destruction  would  overwhelm  the  in- 
habitants of  the  world.  Not  only  the  slopping  of  the 
earth's  motions,  but  even  a  new  direction  given  to  its  axis 
of  rotation,  would  be  productive  of  tlie  most  fatal  effects. 
The  earth's  axis  at  present  is  directed  to  certain  points  of 
the  heavens,  from  which  it  never  deviates,  but  in  a  very 
small  degree ;  but  were  the  hand  of  Omnipotence  to  bend 
it  so  as  to  make  it  point  in  a  different  direction,  the 
ocean  would  abandon  its  present  bed,  and  overflow 
the  land  ;  and  a  second  universal  deluge  would  overwhelm 
all  the  monuments  of  human  grandeur,  and  sweep  tlie 
eartli's  inhabitants  into  a  watery  grave. 

Again,  not  only  the  elements  which  immediately  sur- 
round us,  but  even  celestial  bodies  which  are  just  now  in- 
visible to  our  sight,  and   removed  to    the  distance  of  a 


WERCY    AND    FORBEARANCE    OF    GOD,  71 

thousand  millions  of  miles,  might  be  employed  as  minis- 
ters of  vengeance.  There  are  at  least  a  hmulrcd  comets 
connected  with  the  solar  system,  which  are  moving  in  all 
directions,  and  crossing  the  orbits  of  the  earth,  and  the 
other  planets.  Were  the  orbit  of  one  of  these  bodies,  in  its 
approach  to  the  sun,  to  be  bent  in  a  direction  to  that  of  the 
earth,  the  most  alarming  phenomena  would  be  exhibited 
ill  the  heavens.  A  ruddy  globe,  larger  in  appearance  than 
the  moon,  would  iirst  announce  terror  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth — every  day  this  terrific  object  would  increase  in 
gize,  till  it  appeared  to  fill  the  celestial  hemisphere  with  its 
tremendous  disk ; — the  light  of  the  sun  would  be  eclipsed 
— the  stars  would  disappear — the  ocean  would  be  thrown 
into  violent  agitation,  and  toss  its  billows  to  the  clouds — 
the  earth  would  "  reel  to  and  fro,  like  a  drunkard" — and 
universal  alarm  and  confusion  would  seize  upon  all  the 
tribes  of  the  living  world.  At  length,  this  tremendous 
orb  would  approach  with  accelerated  velocity,  and,  strik- 
ing the  earth  with  a  crash,  as  if  heaven  and  earth  had 
burst  asujider,  would  shiver  the  globe  into  fragments,  and 
for  ever  exterminate  the  race  of  man. 

It  will  at  once  be  admitted,  by  every  one  who  acknow- 
ledges the  incessant  agency  of  a  Supreme  Being  in  the 
movements  of  the  universe,  that  any  one,  or  all  of  these 
effects  combined,  are  within  the  coiupass  of  Omnipotence  ; 
and  not  only  so,  but  they  might  all  be  accomplished  with 
terrific  energy  in  the  course  of  a  few  moments.  If  puny 
man,  by  his  mechanical  dexterity,  can  suddenly  stop  a 
stupendous  machine  which  he  has  put  in  motion — if  he 
can  impel  red  hot  balls  at  the  rate  of  500  miles  an  hour — 
if  he  can  extract  the  oxygen  from  a  small  portion  of  the 
atmosphere,  and  cause  it  to  set  on  fire  the  hardest  metallic 
isubstances — we  cannot  doubt  for  a  moment,  that,  with  in- 
finitely greater  ease,  the  Almighty  could  stop  tlie  earth  in 
its  career,  separate  the  component  parts  of  the  atmosphere, 
set  on  fire  the  foundations  of  the  mountains,  or  impel  the 
blazing  comet  towards  the  earth,  to  crush  it  to  atoms. 
That  God  has  been  a  constant  spectator  of  the  wickedness 
of  man  for  four  thousand  years  ;  that  he  has,  during  all 
that  period,  wielded  in  his  hands  so  many  teriific  minis- 
ters of  vengeance  ;  and  that  he  has  hitherto  refrained 
from  executing  deserved  punishment  on  the  workers  of  in- 


73  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

iquity — is,  therefore,  a  striking  evidence  that  his  mercy  is 
infinite,  and  that  he  is  "  long-suffering  and  slow  to  anger, 
not  willing  that  any  should  perish,  but  that  all  should 
come  to  repentance." 

It  would,  however,  be  a  most  unwarrantable  conclusion, 
from  this  circumstance,  to  imagine  that  God  beholds  with 
indifference  the  scenes  of  iniquity  that  are  hourly  presented 
before  him.  In  order  to  show  that  he  is  not  an  unconcern- 
ed spectator  of  the  ways  of  men,  and  that  the  instruments 
of  punishment  are  always  in  his  hand,  he  sometimes 
»'  Cometh  out  of  his  place,  to  punish  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth  for  their  iniquity,"  and  displays  the  holiness  of  his 
nature,  by  "  terrible  things  in  righteousness."  In  such 
visitations,  "  his  way  is  in  the  whirlwind  and  the  storm  ; 
clouds  and  darkness  are  round  about  him  ;  a  tire  goeth 
before  him,  and  burnetii  up  his  enemies  round  about ;  the 
stormy  winds  are  his  messengers,  and  flames  of  fire  his 
ministers ;  the  clouds  pour  out  their  waters ;  the  sky 
sends  forth  a  sound  ;  the  voice  of  his  thunder  is  in  the 
heavens  ;  his  lightnings  enlighten  the  world ;  the  earth 
quakes,  and  the  people  tremble."  The  hurricane^  which 
tears  up  whole  forests  by  tiie  roots,  and  tosses  them  about 
as  stubble,  whi  ;h  levels  the  loftiest  spires  with  the  ground, 
and  dashes  the  stateliest  ships  against  each  other,  till  they 
are  broken  into  shivers,  and  plunged  into  the  deep  :  the 
lifrhtnings,  which  fill  the  atmosphere  with  their  blaze, 
which  shatter  the  strongest  buildings,  and  strike  whole 
herds  of  cattle  into  a  lifeless  group  ;  the  pcsiUencc, 
*' which  walketh  in  darkness,"  and  cuts  off  thousands  of 
its  victims  in  a  day ;  the  volcano^  belching  forth  rivers  of 
fire,  causing  surrounding  cities  to  tremble,  and  sending 
forth  its  bellowings  over  a  circuit  of  a  thousand  miles  ; — 
these,  and  many  other  agents  which  are  in  operation  in  the 
system  of  nature,  are  experimental  proofs  of  the  dreadful 
energy  of  those  ministers  of  destruction,  which  are  con- 
stantly under  the  superintendence  of  the  Almighty,  and  of 
his  occasionally  using  them  for  the  purpose  of  chastising 
tlie  nations  for  their  iniquities. 

In  particular,  the  earthquake  is  one  of  the  most  terrible 
and  destructive  instruments  of  vengeance.  In  the  year 
1755,  the  shock  of  an  earthquake  was  felt  at  Lisbon,  which 
levelled  to  the  ground  more  than   the  half  of  that  populous 


MERCY    AND    FORBEARANCE    OF    GOD.  73 

citv,  and  buried  fifty  thousand  of  its  inhabitants  in  the 
ruins.  This  shock  extended  its  influence  over  an  extent 
of  four  milhons  of  square  miles  ;  and  therefore,  it  is  easy 
to  conceive,  that,  had  a  little  greater  impulse  been  given 
to  the  physical  agents  which  produced  this  terrible  efTect, 
the  solid  globe  on  which  we  stand  might  have  been  con- 
vulsed to  its  centre,  and  all  its  inhabitants  crushed  to  death, 
amidst  the  universal  ruin. 

We  have  also  an  experimental  proof,  that  there  are  phy- 
sical principles  in  the  constitution  of  our  globe,  sufficient 
to  give  it  a  shock  throughout  every  pait  of  its  solid  mass, 
and  that  such  a  shock,  at  one  period,  it  actually  receiv- 
ed. When  the  wickedness  of  man  became  great 
upon  the  earth,  "  when  every  imagination  of  the  thoughts 
of  his  heart  was  only  evil  continually,"  the  fountains  of 
the  great  deep  were  broken  up,  the  cataracts  of  hea- 
ven were  opened,  and  the  whole  solid  crust  of  our  globe 
received  such  a  shock  as  rent  the  mountains  asunder, 
and  hurled  them  into  the  plains ;  the  effects  of  which 
are  still  visible,  in  every  Alpine  district,  and  in  the 
subterraneous  caverns  of  the  earth.  Of  all  the  millions 
of  the  race  of  Adam  that  then  existed,  only  eight  indi- 
viduals, after  having  been  tossed  for  seven  months  on 
the  tremendous  billows  of  a  boundless  ocean,  survived, 
to  tell  to  their  posterity  the  tidings  of  this  universal 
wreck.  The  dreadful  scenes  of  horror  and  consternation 
which  must  have  been  presented  at  this  awful  crisis  ;  the 
stupendous  forces  which  must  have  been  in  operation  in 
the  atmosphere  above,  and  in  the  foundations  of  the  earth 
beneath,  and  the  tremendous  clash  of  elemental  war 
which  must  have  ensued,  throughout  every  region  of  earth, 
air,  and  sea, — it  is  beyond  the  power  of  the  human  imag- 
ination to  depict,  in  all  their  terrific  grandeur.  But  we 
have  every  reason  to  conclude,  that  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean  was  lifted  up  to  the  level  of  the  loftiest  mountains, 
that  disTLiptions  of  the  mountains  and  of  the  densest  rocks 
ensued,  that  dreadful  explosions  resounded  throughout  the 
whole  expanse  of  Nature,  and  that  the  mighty  waters 
hurled  their  billows  with  resistless  fiiiy  in  every^direction, 
rolling  immense  rocks  and  forests  fi'om  one  continent  to 
another,  and  whirling  the  wrecks  of  different  regions  to 
the  opposite  extremities  of  the  dobe. 


74  THE    PHILOSOPHY    05"    RELIGION. 

AV'cre  it  at  any  time  tlic  intention  of  the  Almighty  to 
inflict  deserved  punishment  on  a  particular  district,  or 
class  of  men,  without  deranging  the  whole  structure  of 
our  glohe,  we  have  also  an  experimental  proof  how  easily 
this  could  be  efiected,  even  without   infringincr    the    estab- 

I'll  Do 

hshed  laws  of  nature.  He  has  only  to  condense  the  pow- 
erful energies  of  the  electrical  fluid  in  a  large  cloud,  and  to 
despatch  it  on  the  wings  of  the  wind,  to  discharge  its 
tliunderbolts  on  any  particular  city,  or  mountain,  or  plain, 
— and  the  work  of  destruction  is  instantly  accomplished. 
A  striking  instance  of  this  kind  happened,  in  the  year 
1772,  in  the  island  of  Java,  in  the  East  Indies.  On  the 
1 1th  of  August,  at  the  dead  hour  of  night,  a  bright  cloud 
was  observed  covering  a  mountain  in  the  district  of  Cheri- 
bon,  and  at  the  same  moment  several  reports  were  heard, 
like  those  of  a  cannon.  The  people  who  dwelt  on  the 
upper  parts  of  the  mountain  not  being  able  to  fly  with  suf- 
llcient  swiftness,  a  great  part  of  the  cloud,  about  nine 
miles  in  circumference,  detached  itself  under  them,  and 
was  seen  at  a  distance,  rising  and  falling  like  the  waves 
of  the  sea,  and  emitting  globes  of  Are  so  luminous,  that 
the  night  became  as  clear  as  day.  The  eflects  of  this 
dreadful  explosion  were  astonishing.  Every  thing  was 
destroyed  for  twenty  miles  around.  The  houses  were 
demolished ;  the  plantations  were  buried  in  the  earth ; 
vast  numbers  of  goats,  sheep,  and  horses,  and  1500  head 
of  cattle  were  destroyed ;  and  above  two  thousand  human 
beings  were  in  a  moment  plunged  into  the  gulf  of  eter- 
nity.* "  With  God  is  terrible  Majesty.     Who   can  stand 


*  In  this,  and  the  other  ilhistrations  of  this  subject  stated  above,  I 
consider  the  Diviiu;  Bein<f  as  the  fjrand  asent  in  directing  the  opera- 
ti;)ns  of  the  chnnents,  but  without  infrinyino;  those  oeneral  h\ws  which 
are  found  to  operate  with  unch'viatiuL^  constancy  in  the  system  of  the 
universe.  To  exph)r(^  tli(!  manner  in  which  these  iienernl  hiws  are  di- 
H'Cted  to  pnxhice  certain  specific  eiiects,  in  reference  to  particuhirre- 
vrions  and  tribes  of  niatdiind,  must  obviously  be  beyond  th(;  hniits  of 
our  facuHies  ;  unless  we  could  enter  into  all  the  desi<xns  of  the  Eternal 
Mind,  when  he  ijave  birth  to  the  universe,  and  arrani^ed  its  elementary 
parts;  and  unless  we  could  take  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  re- 
moti'st  lendencies  of  the  elements  of  nature,  and  the  limes  and  cir- 
cumstances in  which  th(!y  shall  ])roduce  a  specific  and  extraordinary 
effect.  All  these  tendencies  and  circumstances  were  before  the  j\iind 
i>f  the  Eternal  Jehovah,  when  he  established  the  plan  of  his  moral 


MERCY    AND    FORBEARANCE    OF    GOD.  /5 

before  his  indignation  ?  who  can  abide  in  the  fierceness 
of  his  anger  ?  The  mountains  quake  before  him ;  the 
hills  melt,  and  the  earth  is  burned  at  his  presence."  "  Let 
all  the  earth  fear  the  Lord  ;  let  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
world  stand  in  awe  of  him." 

Thus  it  appears,  that  God  is  not  an  unconcerned  Spec- 
tator of  the  ways  of  men — that  he  has  every  moment  at  his 
command,  the  most  destructive  elements  of  nature — and 
that  we  have  abundant  proofs  that  these  destructive  ele- 
ments have  been  occasionally  used,  for  inflicting  condign 
punishment  on  the  workers  of  iniquity.  Notvv^ithstand- 
ing  these  resources  of  vengeance,  we  find,  by  experience, 
that  his  mercy  is  exercised,  from  year  to  year,  and  fiom 
century  to  century,  towards  a  world,  the  majority  of 
whose  inhabitants  are  daily  trampling  under  foot  his  sa- 
cred institutions,  and  his  holy  laws.  The  instances  which 
occur,  of  the  devastations  of  the  hurricane,  the  thunder, 
the  volcano,  the  earthquake,  and  the  pestilence,  are  com- 
paratively few,  and  seem  intended  chiefly  to  arouse  the  at- 
tention of  thoughtless  and  ungrateful  man  ;  to  prevent  hira 
from  running  to  the  extreme  of  wickedness  ;  and  to  con- 
vince him  that  "  the  Most  High  ruleth  in  the  kingdoms 
of  men,"  and  that  "  verily  there  is  a  God  who  judgeth  in 
the  earth."  Hence  we  may  perceive  the  striking  empha- 
sis of  the  language  of  the  inspired  writers  :  "  The  Lord  is 
slow  to  anger  ,"  and  yet  "  great  in  power.'"* 

This  display  of  the  exercise  of  perfect  self-command  in 
the  Divine  Mind,  is,  therefore,  calculated,  as  well  as  his 
wisdom  and  goodness,  to  inspire  us  with  emotions  of  Rev- 
erence, Admiration,  and  Love.  "  The  Lord  is  merciful 
and  gracious,  slow  to  anger,  and  plenteous  in  mercy.     As 


government ;  and,  therefore,  whatever  events  may  occur  in  the  phy- 
sical system,  must  be  considered  as  the  accomplishment  of  his  moral 
purposes,  in  reference  to  the  moral  agents  he  has  created. — It  would 
be  presumptuous  in  so  limited  a  being  as  man,  to  determine,  in  every 
case,  what  is  the  precise  moral  reason  of  the  extraordinary  destruc- 
tive effects  of  i)hysical  agents.  We  can  only  say,  in  general,  that 
they  are  connected  with  the  sin  and  depravity  of  man.  But,  at  that 
solemn  day,  when  the  reasons  of  the  Divine  dispensations  shall  be 
laid  open,  it  will  perhaps  be  found,  that  such  uncommon  and  alarm- 
ing effects  were  the  punishment  of  aggravated  transgressions,  the 
pecuhar  malignity  and  tendency  of  which  were  removed,  in  a  great 
measure,  beyond  the  sphere  of  general  observation. 


76  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

tlie  heaven  is  high  above  the  earth,  so  great  is  his  mercy 
toward  them  that  fear  him.  Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul, 
and  forget  not  all  his  benefits." 


SECTION  VI. 

Of  the  Rectitude  of  the  Divine  Character, 

Another  perfection  in  the  character  of  God,  which  is 
calculated  to  inspire  confidence  and  affection,  is  his  Justice^ 
or,  the  Rectitude  of  his  nature. 

The  Rectitude  of  the  Divine  Being,  in  its  most  exten- 
sive sense,  consists  in  doing  that  which,  in  all  cases, 
is  right  upon  the  whole ;  or,  in  other  words,  that 
^vhich  will  have  the  greatest  tendency  to  promote  the 
order  and  happiness  of  his  universal  empire.  It  in- 
cludes under  it,  the  idea  of  distributive  justice,  which 
consists  in  rewarding  the  good,  and  punishing  the  bad, 
according  to  equitable  laws,  calculated  to  produce  har- 
mony and  happiness  throughout  the  whole  intelligent 
system.  This  perfection  of  the  Deity  may  be  considered 
as  a  branch  of  his  general  benevolence,  which  appears 
to  be  the  source  of  all  his  moral  attributes,  and  the  spring 
of  all  his  actions.  The  display  of  his  natural  and  mor- 
al perfections,  and  the  general  happmess  of  the  intelligen- 
ces which  exist  throughout  his  immense  and  eternal  em- 
pire, appear  to  be  the  great  objects  in  view,  in  his  mo- 
ral government  of  the  universe  :  and,  in  order  to  secure 
these  objects,  it  is  requisite  that  justice  be  impartially  ad- 
ministered, according  to  the  eternal  rules  of  rectitude, 
and  tliat  "  every  one  be  rewarded  accordhig  to  his 
works." 

That  this  attribute  is  possessed  by  the  Divine  Being,  in 
the  highest  degree,  appears  from  the  following  consid- 
erations.— He  exists,  and  has  always  existed,  completely 
independent  of  all  his  creatures ;  he  is  in  the  actual 
possession  of  boundless  felicity,  which  no  other  being 
can  interrupt ;  and  is  consequently  liable  to  no  evil,  nor 
diminution  of  enjoyment.  He  is  Chnnipotent,  and 
therefore  can   accomplish  whatever   he  pleases,    and  caa 


JUSTICE     OF    GOD.  77 

cfTectuallv  prevent  whatever  might  detract  from  his  hap- 
piness, or  disturb  the  order  of  his  government.  He  has, 
therefore,  nothing  to  fear  from  any  other  being,  and  can 
desire  nothing  from  his  creatures  to  increase  his  felicity. 
Consequently,  no  possible  motive  or  temptatioji  can  exist,  to 
induce  him  to  inflict  an  act  of  injustice  on  any  of  the  intel- 
lectual beings  he  has  formed.  Injustice  among  men,  pro- 
ceeds either  from  want  of  intelligence  to  discriminate  be- 
tween what  is  right  and  wrong  ;  from  want  of  power  to  bring 
their  purposes  into  effect ;  from  the  fear  of  some  evil  or 
disadvantage  which  may  arise  from  the  impartial  distri- 
bution of  justice ;  from  the  idea  of  some  imaginary  good 
of  which  they  might  be  deprived ;  from  some  mental  de- 
fect incident  to  the  present  state  of  humanity  ;  from  some 
prejudice  against  the  individuals  towards  whom  justice 
ought  to  be  administered  ;  or  from  the  indulgence  of 
some  cruel  and  depraved  dispositions.  But  none  of  these 
causes  or  motives  can  exist  in  the  mind  of  the  All-perfect 
and  infinite  Creator.  His  comprehensive  eye  takes  in, 
at  one  glance,  all  the  circumstances,  even  the  most  minute, 
on  which  a  righteous  decision  depends;  he  is  no  "re- 
specter of  persons ;"  he  can  indulge  no  malevolent  dis- 
positions ;  he  can  expect  no  accession  of  enjoyment  from 
an  act  of  injustice  ;  he  has  nothing  to  fear  from  the  ex- 
ecution of  his  decisions ;  his  power  is  all-suffident  to 
bring  them  into  full  effect,  at  the  time,  and  in  the  manner, 
which  is  most  conducive  to  the  happiness  of  the  universe  ; 
and  his  benevolence,  which  is  displayed  throughout  all 
his  works,  effectually  prevents  him  from  withholding  good, 
or  inflicting  evil,  beyond  the  desert  of  the  subjects  of  his 
government. 

This  character  of  the  Deity  is  amply  exhibited  and 
conflrmed  in  the  declarations  of  Sacred  Scripture ;  where 
it  is  asserted,  that  "  He  is  a  God  of  truth,  and  without 
iniquity;  just  and  right  is  he."  "Thou  art  just,"  says 
Nehemiah,  "  in  all  that  is  brought  upon  us  ;  for  thou 
hast  done  right,  but  we  have  done  wickedly."  "  Shall 
mortal  man  be  more  just  than  God?  Surely  God  will 
not  do  wickedly,  neither  will  the  Almighty  pervert  judg- 
ment. Wilt  thou  condemn  Him  that  is  most  just  ?  Is  it 
fit  to  say  to  a  king,  Thou  art  wicked ;  or  to  princes,  Ye 
are  ungodly  ?  How  much  less  to  him  who  acceptcth  not 
7 


/»  THE    PHILOSOPHY     OF    RELIGION. 

the  persons  of  princes,  nor  regardeth  the  rich  more  than 
the  poor  ?"  "  The  rigliteous  Lord  loveth  righteous- 
ness ;  he  shall  judge  the  world  in  righteousness ;  he 
shall  minister  judgment  to  the  people  in  uprightness. 
Justice  and  judgment  are  the  foundation  of  his  throne. 
The  Lord  our  God  is  righteous  in  all  his  works  which  he 
doth."  "  I  am  the  Lord  who  exercise  judgment  and 
righteousness  in  the  earth."  "  God  is  not  unrighteous  to 
forget  your  work  and  labour  of  love  which  ye  have  show- 
ed towards  his  name.  Great  and  marvellous  are  thy 
works,  Lord  God  Almighty  ;  just  and  true  are  thy  ways, 
thou  King  of  saints."  The  equitable  laws  which  he  has 
promulgated  to  his  creatures ;  the  justice  he  requires 
to  be  exercised  by  one  man  to  another ;  his  promises  of 
reward,  and  his  threatenings  of  punishment;  and  the 
impressive  judgments  which  he  has  executed  on  indi- 
viduals, on  nations,  and  on  the  world  at  large,  all  bear  tes- 
timony to  the  existence  of  perfect  rectitude  in  the  Divine 
character. 

But,  although  Scripture  and  Reason  combine  in  attest- 
ing the  immutable  Justice  of  God,  we  are  unable,  in  ma- 
ny instances,  to  trace  the  display  of  this  perfection  in  his 
dispensations  towards  the  inhabitants  of  our  world.  This 
is  owing,  in  part,  to  the  false  maxims  by  which  we  form 
a  judgment  of  his  procedure ;  to  the  Imiited  views 
we  are  obliged  to  take  of  the  objects  of  his  government ; 
to  the  want  of  a  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  whole 
plan  of  his  dispensations,  and  the  ends  to  be  eficcted  by 
them  ;  to  the  limited  views  we  have  acquired  of  the  whole 
range  of  his  universal  dominions  ;  and  to  our  ignorance  of 
the  relations  which  may  subsist,  between  our  world 
and  the  inhabitants  of  other  provinces  of  the  Divine 
Empire.  We  behold  many  of  "  the  excellent  of  the  earth" 
pining  in  the  abodes  of  poverty,  and  almost  unnoticed 
by  their  fellow-men ;  while  we  behold  the  wicked  ele- 
vated to  stations  of  power,  and  encircled  with  riches  and 
splendour.  From  a  false  estimate  of  true  enjoyment, 
we  are  apt  to  imagine,  that  misery  surrounds  the  one, 
and  that  happiness  encircles  the  other;  and  that  there 
is  an  apparent  act  of  injustice  in  tliese  different  allot- 
ments ;  whereas,  God  may  have  placed  the  one  in  the 
midst  of  worldly  prosperity  as   a  punishment  for  liis   sins, 


JUSTICE    OF    GOD.  79 

Jind  the  other  in  obscurity,  as  a  stimulus  to  the  exercise  of 
virtue.  We  beliold  a  man  of  piety  and  benevolence  falling 
before  the  dagger  of  an  assassin,  who  escapes  v/ith  impu- 
nity :  we  are  startled  at  the  dispensation,  and  confounded 
at  the  mystery  of  providence,  and  are  apt  to  exclaim,  "  Is 
there  not  a  God  that  judgeth  in  the  earth  ?"  But,  we 
are  ignorant  of  the  relation  which  such  an  event  bears  to 
the  general  plan  of  the  Divine  Government — of  the 
links  in  the  chain  of  events  which  preceded  it,  and  oi 
those  which  shall  follow  in  its  train.  We  are  ignorant 
of  the  relation  it  bears  to  particular  families  and  societies, 
or  to  the  nation  at  large  in  which  it  happened,  and  even  to 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  An  eveiit  apparently  trivial, 
or  mysterious,  or,  according  to  our  views,  unjust,  may,  for 
aught  we  know,  form  an  essential  link  in  that  chain  of 
events  which  extends  from  the  commencement  of  time  to 
its  consummation,  which  runs  through  a  thousand  worlds, 
and  stretches  into  the  depths  of  eternity.  We  all  know, 
that  some  of  the  most  appalling  scenes  of  terror  and  de- 
struction have  often  proceeded  from  an  apparently  trivial 
accident,  and  that  events  of  the  greatest  importance  have 
originated  from  causes  so  inconsiderable  as  to  be  almost 
overlooked.  The  British  and  Foreign  Bible  society, 
which  now  engages  the  attention  of  the  whole  mass  of  the 
Christian  world,  and  whose  beneficent  effects  will  soon 
extend  to  the  remotest  corners  of  the  world,  derived  its 
origin  from  a  casual  conversation  between  a  few  obscure 
individuals,  on  the  subject  of  distributing  the  Scriptures. 
And  the  apparently  trivial  circumstance,  of  observino-  that 
a  certain  mineral  substance,  vv^hen  left  free  to  move  itself, 
uniformly  points  towards  the  north,  has  been  the  jneans, 
not  only  of  the  knowledge  we  have  acquired  of  the  diffe- 
rent regions  of  our  globe,  but  of  imparting  to  millions  of 
mankind  incalculable  blessings,  which  will  descend  to  their 
posterity  to  the  latest  generations. 

Hence  it  appears,  that,  in  our  present  circumstances, 
we  are  altogether  incompetent  to  form  a  correct  judgment 
of  what  is  just  or  unjust  in  the  present  dispensations  of 
the  Almighty,  unless  we  could  survey,  with  the  eye  of  a 
seraph,  the  ample  plan  of  the  divine  government, — the 
whole  chain  of  God's  dispensations  towards  our  race, — 
the  numerous  worlds  and  beings  over  which  his  moral  (^o- 


80  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

vernment  extends, — the  relation  which  the  events  now 
passing  among  ns  bear  to  other  moral  intelligences,  either 
as  subjects  of  contemplation,  as  warnings  of  the  danger  of 
apostacy  from  God,  or  as  motives  to  universal  subjection 
and  obedience, — and  the  connexions,  bearings,  and  depen- 
dencies of  the  whole  of  that  moral  system  which  embraces 
unnumbered  worlds,  and  constitutes  one  grand  and  bound- 
less empire,  under  the  government  of  the  Creator,  Even 
then,  witii  the  eye  and  the  mind  of  a  finite  intelligence 
we  should  occasionally  meet  with  events  which  would 
surpass  our  comprehension,  and  be  altogether  inexplicable, 
on  the  grounds  of  the  knowledge  we  had  previously  ac- 
quired, and  should  still  be  constrained  to  exclaim,  "  O  the 
depth  of  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom,  and  the  know- 
ledge of  God  !  How  unsearchable  are  his  judgments,  and 
his  ways  past  finding  out !" 

But,  although  "  clouds  and  darkness,"  at  present,  hang 
over  the  ways  of  the  Almighty,  so  that  we  cannot,  in  eve- 
ry instance,  perceive  the  rectitude  of  his  procedure,  we 
may  rest  satisfied  that  "  Justice  and  judgment  are  for- 
ever the  foundation  of  his  throne ;"  and  we  are  assured, 
by  the  Sacred  Oracles,  that  a  period  is  approaching,  when 
the  mystery  of  Providence  will  be  unfolded,  and  wlien 
all  its  dark  and  perplexing  events,  in  reference  to  this 
world,  will  be  explained  to  the  full  conviction  of  all  its  as- 
sembled inhabitants.  For  "  God  hath  appointed  a  day  in 
which  he  will  judge  the  world  in  righteousness  by  that 
man  whom  he  hath  ordained  ;  whereof  he  hath  given  as- 
surance unto  all  men,  in  that  he  hath  raised  him  from  the 
dead."  Then  "  the  secrets  of  all  hearts"  shall  be  disclos- 
ed, and  every  man  rewarded  "  according  to  his  works  ;'* 
for,  "  God  shall  bring  every  work  into  judgment,  with  ev- 
ery secret  thing,  whether  it  be  good,  or  whether  it  be 
evil."  Then  it  will  be  clearly  perceived,  that  "  verily 
there  is  a  reward  for  the  righteous,  and  that  there  is  a  (Jod 
that  judgeth  in  the  eartli."  Then  the  rectitude  of  Jeho- 
vah, in  every  part  of  his  moral  administration,  will  shine 
forth  in  all  its  lustre  ;  a  visible  and  everlasting  distinction 
will  be  made  between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked,  and 
the  whole  intelligent  creation  will  plainly  discern  between 
"  him  that  served  God,  and  him  that  served  him  not." 

In  the  mean  time,  God   has  not  left   himself    without  * 


JUSTICE    OF    GOD.  81 

witness  to  the  impartiality  of  his  Justice  in  his  allotments 
lowards  men,  in  that  he  has  invariably  connected  misery 
with  the  violation  of  his  laws^  and  happiness  \\[i\\  the  obscrv' 
anee  of  them.  However  different  the  allotments  of  man- 
kind may  be,  in  regard  to  wealth,  honom-,  or  station,  it 
holds  invariably  true,  that  "  there  is  no  peace,"  or  sub- 
stantial happiness,  "  to  the  wicked  ;"  and  that  "  the  man 
is  blessed  who  fears  the  Lord,  and  delights  in  his  command- 
ments."* Place  a  man  on  the  highest  pinnacle  of  earthly 
grandeur,  and  let  him  indulge  in  schemes  of  ambition,  ava- 
rice, pride,  revenge,  cruelty,  and  other  violations  of  the  di- 
vine law,  and  he  may  as  soon  attempt  to  stop  the  sun  in 
his  course,  as  to  expect  substantial  enjoyment  while  he 
continues  in  the  indulgence  of  such  malevolent  passions. 
Place  another  in  the  most  obscure  abode  of  human  life 
and  let  him  exercise  piety,  benevolence,  humility,  and  ev- 
ery other  Christian  temper  ;  and  he  will  enjoy  a  peace,  an 
equanimity,  and  a  portion  of  happiness,  which  the  wicked 
can  never  possess,  and  which  the  wealth  of  the  world  can 
neither  give  nor  take  away.  Hence  it  is,  that  we  behold 
so  many  instances  of  disgust  at  life,  and  of  self-destruction, 
among  those  who  are  elevated  to  stations  of  power,  and 
surrounded  with  every  kind  of  sensitive  enjoyment. — This 
consideration,  of  itself,  should  silence  every  murmur  tliat 
is  apt  to  arise  at  the  dispensations  of  God's  Providence, 
and  convince  us  that  "  he  is  righteous  in  all  his  M^ays,  and 
holy  in  all  his  works." 

On  the  whole,  then,  it  appears,  that  the  justice  of  GoA 
has  a  tendency  to  inspire  us  with  confidence,  and  love, 
and  joy,  no  less  than  his  mercy  and  benevolence.  Were 
it  not  for  this  perfection  of  the  divine  character,  omnipo- 
tence might  become  a  most  terrific  and  tremendous  attri- 
bute of  the  Deity.  We  should  have  no  motive  but  that  ot 
fear  to  stimulate  us  to  obedience ;  we  should  feel  no  secu- 
rity against  danger,  and  distress,  and  the  perpetual  recur- 
rence of  spectacles  of  vengeance  ;  and,  in  the  course  ol 
ages,  the  spacious  universe  might  be  transformed  into  an 
immense  region  of  "  lamentation,  and  mourning,  and  wo.'' 
Were  it  not  for  this   perfection,  the   benevolence  of  the 


'♦PsaL  cxii.  1. 


82  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

Deity  would  degenerate  into  weakness  and  imbecility. 
Wicked  men,  and  other  depraved  intelliirences,  presuming 
on  freedom  from  impunity,  and  their  diabohcal  passions 
acquiring-  strength  and  vigour,  b}^  long  exercise,  would 
carry  misery  and  destruction  in  their  train,  wherever  they 
exerted  their  energies  ;  and  would  interrupt,  and  ultimate- 
ly destroy  the  harmony  and  felicity  of  the  intelligent  uni- 
verse. But,  while  we  recognize  the  rectitude  of  the  di- 
vine character  as  an  immutable  attribute  of  Deity,  we  can 
look  forward  with  confidence  through  all  the  revolutions 
of  time,  and  to  all  those  eternal  scenes  which  shall  suc- 
ceed the  demolition  of  the  present  system  of  things,  fully 
assured,  that  God  is  the  universal  Protector  of  his  unnum- 
bered offspring, — that  his  power  will  never  be  interposed 
to  inflict  an  act  of  injustice — that  no  intelligent  being  will 
ever  suffer  a  punishment  beyond  his  desert — and  that  no 
happiness  which  his  benevolence  has  devised,  and  his 
word  has  promised,  will  ever  be  withheld  from  those 
"  who  put  their  trust  in  his  name,  and  hearken  to  the 
voice  of  his  commandments." 


Thus  I  have  endeavoured  to  show,  that  love  to  God., 
which  is  the  first  principle  of  the  moral  law,  is  founded  up- 
on the  natural  and  moral  perfections  of  the  Deity — that 
the  attributes  of  o?n7iipote?ice,  wisdom,  goodness,  mercy,  for- 
bearance 2ind  justice,  are  calculated  to  excite  this  noble 
atfection  to  the  highest  degree  in  the  minds  of  all  holy 
intelligences.  I  might  also  have  illustrated  this  subject 
from  considerations  drawn  from  the  infinity,  the  eternity, 
the  immutability,  the  holiness  and  veracity  of  God. 
But  the  illustrations  already  stated,  will,  I  presume,  be 
sufiicient  to  demonstrate,  that  this  afl'ection,  in  conjunction 
with  all  its  kindred  emotions,  ought  to  occupy  the  highest 
place  in  the  human  heart,  and  in  the  minds  of  all  created 
intelligences. 

It  may,  perhaps,  be  insinuated  by  some,  that  the  preced- 
ing illustrations  have  been  carried  to  a  greater  length  than 
the  nature  of  the  subject  required — and  it  is  readily  ad- 
mitted, that  tlie  mere  logical  argument  did  not  require  so 
extended   illustrations.      Every   person  who   knows   the 


JUSTICE    OF    GOD.  83 

mciinitiG;  of  the  terms  made  use  of,  will  at  onee  admit,  that, 
since  God  is  a  Being  possessed  of  almighty  power,  infinite 
wisdom,  boundless  benevolence,  mercy,  forbearance,  and 
perfect  rectitude — he  ought  to  be  loved  affectionately  and 
supremely.  But  such  general  and  metaphysical  reason- 
ing, though  perfectly  conclusive  and  incontrovertible,  pos- 
sesses but  a  slender  influence  over  the  mind,  in  exciting 
it  to  the  cultivation  of  holy  affections.  For  the  sake  of 
impression,  it  is  essentially  requisite,  that  the  various  /nan- 
t.fesiatio7is  of  Divine  Perfection  should  be  presented  to  the 
view,  in  order  that  the  mind  may  have  a  tangible  train  of 
thought  before  it,  to  stimulate  its  activities,  and  its  re- 
ligious emotions.  General  views  and  reasonings  on  any 
subject,  and  especially  on  the  subject  of  Keiigion,  pro- 
duce a  very  slight  impression  on  the  majority  of  mankind. 
It  is  not  owing  so  much  to  the  want  of  conviction  of  the 
truth  of  certain  important  propositions  in  Religion,  that 
divine  truths  take  so  slender  a  hold  of  the  mind,  as  to  the 
want  of  those  definite  and  impressive  conceptions  which 
can  be  acquired  only  by  a  minute  and  attentive  survey  of 
the  works  and  the  dispensations  of  God.  And,  in  this 
point  of  view,  the  preceding  illustrations,  had  the  limited 
nature  of  the  present  work  permitted,  might  have  been 
prosecuted  to  a  much  greater  extent. 

I  might  also  have  illustrated  this  subject  from  a  consid- 
eration of  the  Relations  in  which  God  stands  to  us,  and  to 
all  his  creatures. — He  is  our  Creator^,  and  we  are  the 
workmanship  of  his  hands.  He  formed  our  bodies,  and 
he  sustains  our  spirits.  His  physical  energy  is  felt  by  us 
every  moment,  in  making  our  hearts  to  beat,  and  our 
lungs  to  play,  and  in  impelling  the  crimson  fluid  which 
circulates  in  our  bodies,  through  a  thousand  different 
tubes.  To  him  we  are  indebted  for  life,  and  all  its  com- 
forts ;  and  for  all  the  powers,  capacities,  and  privileges, 
which  dignify  our  nature,  and  exalt  us  above  the  lower 
ranks  of  existence. — He  is  our  Preserver  and  bountiful 
Benefactor,  who  "  sustains  our  souls  in  life,"  who  supports 
the  course  of  nature,  in  its  diversified  movements,  and 
''  daily  loads  us  with  his  benefits.''  To  his  superintend- 
ing Providence  we  are  indebted  for  the  food  we  eat,  the 
water  we  drink,  the  clothes  we  wear,  the  air  we  breathe, 
the  light  which  cheers  us,  the  splendours  of  the  sun,  the 


84  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

milder  radiance  of  the  moon,  the  magnificence  of  the  star- 
ly  sky,  the  rains  and  dews  which  fertihze  the  soil ;  the 
earth,  with  its  riches  and  abundance  ;  the  trees,  plants, 
and  waving  grain,  which  enrich  our  fields ;  the  flowers 
which  deck  the  meadows,  the  beautiful  and  magnificent 
colouring  which  is  spread  over  the  terrestrial  landscape, 
the  succession  of  day  and  night,  and  the  vicissitude  of  the 
seasons.  In  short,  to  him  we  are  indebted  for  all  the 
objects  and  movements  around  us,  which  render  our 
abode  on  earth  convenient,  desirable,  and  productive  of 
enjoyment. 

He  is  our  Father,  and  we  are  his  children.     He  watch- 
es over  us  with  a  tender   care  ;  and,  "  as  a  father  pitieth 
his    children,   so  the   Lord   pitieth  them  that  fear  him." 
This    tender,   and  indissoluble    relation,  binds  us   to  him 
by  the  strongest  ties,  and  is  calculated  to  excite  the  most 
ardent  filial  affection   and  gratitude. — He    is    our    Sover- 
eign and    Lawgiver,    and  we    are   his    subjects;  and    all 
his  laws  are  framed  on  the  principles  of  eternal  and  im- 
mutable   rectitude,    and    are     calculated    to    promote    xhn 
harmony    and    happiness   of  the   whole  intelligent  crea- 
tion.— He  is   our  Master   and   we  are   his  servants,    and 
"  his    commandments     are     not     grievous." — He     is   oui 
.Friend  in  adversity,  out  Protector  in  danger  and  in  distress  : 
our  Instructor,  who  has  imparted  to  us  knowledge  and  un- 
derstanding ;  and    our   Redeemer,    who  "  spared   not   his 
own  Son,  but  delivered  him  up  tor  us  all,"  that  we  might 
be  rescued  from  the  gulph  of  depravity  and  ruin,   and  ex- 
alted to  a  state  of  consummate  felicity.     In  fine,  he  is  that 
Being  who  is  the  inexhaustible  fountain  of  light,  of  life, 
nnd  of  joy,  to  all  beings — on  whom  depend  all  our  future 
prospects  in  this  world,  and  all  the  transporting  scenes   to 
which  we  look  forward  in  an  interminable  state  of  exist- 
ence.— All  these,  and   many  other  relations,  in  which   we 
stand  to  the  God  of  Heaven,   demonstrate,   tiiat  Supreme 
Love  to  this  Beneficent  Being,  is  the  first  and  highest  du- 
ty of  every  rational  creature  ;  and  they  present  the  mo?t 
powerful  motives  to  stimulate  us  to  its  exercise.     But,   to 
illustrate  these  topics,  in  minute  detail,  would  be  inconsist- 
ent with  the  limited  plan  of  the  present  work ;  and  it  is 
the  less  necessary,  as  several  of  them  have  already  been 
brought  into  view,  in  the  course  of  the  preceding  illustra- 
tioni. 


ADMIRATION    OF     GOD's    WOUKS.  85 

SECTION   YII. 

Modes  in  which  Love  to  God  is  displayed. 

I  shall  now  offer  a  remark  or  two,  on  the  nature  of 
this  sublime  affection,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  ought 
to  be  manifested.  Love  to  God  is  not  a  single  and  solita- 
ry affection  in  the  human  breast,  which  evaporates  in  a 
few  transient  and  undefined  emotions  ;  but  is  the  spring 
of  every  holy  activity,  and  is  intimately  connected  with 
every  virtuous  emotion,  with  every  pious  sentiment, 
with  every  religious  requirement,  with  every  sensitive 
enjoyment,  with  our  present  comforts,  and  our  future  and 
eternal  prospects. 

It  includes  in  it,  cojnplacency  or  delight  in  the  character 
and  administration  of  God.  Viewing  him  as  a  Self-ex- 
istent and  Eternal  Being, — filling  immensity  with  his 
presence,  launching  innumerable  worlds  into  existence, 
upholding  them  all  by  the  "  Word  of  his  Power,"  and 
superintending  the  minutest  concerns  of  all  his  offspring, 
from  the  loftiest  Seraph,  through  all  the  inferior  gradations 
of  existence,  to  the  smallest  animalcula, — the  mind  feels 
the  most  delightful  emotions,  in  regarding  the  happiness 
of  the  universe  as  perfectly  secure,  under  his  physical  and 
moral  administration.  Contemplating  his  bounty  to  angels 
and  to  men,  to  the  birds  of  the  air,  the  fislies  of  the  sea, 
and  the  numerous  tribes  which  traverse  the  surface  of 
the  land, — his  mercy  towards  our  fallen  race, — his  long- 
suftering  and  forbearance  towards  wicked  nations  and  in- 
dividuals,— his  faithfulness  in  the  accomplishment  of  his 
promises  and  threatenings, — and  the  unerring  rectitude 
of  his  dispensations  towards  all  his  creatures, — the  mind 
feels  supreme  approbation  and  complacency  in  his  attri- 
butes, purposes,  and  administrations  ;  beholding  in  his 
character  an  excellence  and  amiableness,  a  moral  dignity 
and  grandeur,  which  is  not  to  be  found  in  any  created  in- 
telligence. Even  in  reference  to  those  acts  of  his  govern- 
ment, which  appear  dreadful  and  appalling — in  the  volca- 
no, the  earthquake,  the  thunders,  the  hurricane,  the  tem- 
pest, and  the  doom  of  the  impenitent,  its  approbation  and 
eomplaconoy  are  not  withheld,  convinced  that  perfect  rec- 


86  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF     RELIGION. 

titude  is  the  rule  of  his  procedure,  and  that  his  Kiglii- 
eousness  will  one  day  be  brought  to  light  before  an  as- 
sembled world. 

Ivove  to  God  includes  admiration  of  his  wonderful 
works.  The  man  whose  affections  are  directed  to  the 
Supreme  Intelligence,  is  not  an  indifferent  spectator  of 
the  manifestations  of  Deity.  He  beholds  the  magnifi- 
cent canopy  of  heaven  daily  moving  around  him  in  silent 
grandeur ;  his  eye  penetrates  beyond  the  apparent  aspects 
of  the  twinkling  luminaries  which  adorn  it,  and  surveys 
the  hand  of  the  Almighty  wheeling  stupendous  globes 
through  the  immeasurable  regions  of  space,  and  extend- 
ing his  operations  throughout  unnumbered  systems,  dis- 
persed over  the  boundless  expanse  of  the  universe.  He 
beholds  the  great  globe  on  which  he  is  placed,  impelled 
by  the  same  Omnipotent  arm,  prosecuting  its  course  through 
the  depths  of  space,  and  circling  around  the  sun,  to  bring 
about  the  revolutions  of  the  seasons.  He  contemplates 
the  vast  ranges  of  mountains  that  stretch  around  it — the 
mass  of  waters  in  the  mighty  ocean,  and  its  numerous 
tribes  of  animated  beings — the  "  dry  land,"  with  all  its  fur- 
niture and  inhabitants — the  vast  caverns,  chasms,  and  shat- 
tered strata  which  appear  in  its  interior  recesses — and  the 
atmosphere  with  which  it  is  surrounded,  with  the  clouds, 
the  lightnings,  and  the  tempests  which  diversify  its  aspect. 
He  traces  the  footsteps  of  the  Almighty  in  his  moral  admin- 
istration— in  the  deluge  which  swept  away  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  Antediluvian  world — in  the  burning  of  Sodom, 
the  dividing  of  the  Rod  Sea,  the  thunders  and  lightnings 
of  Sinai — the  manifestation  of  the  Son  of  God  in  human 
flesh  ;  his  sufferings,  death,  resurrection,  and  triumphant 
ascension — in  the  projiagation  of  the  Gospel  in  the  face  of 
every  opposition,  in  the  rise  and  fall  of  empires,  the  de- 
thronement of  kings,  the  battles  of  warriors,  and  the  con- 
vulsions of  nations.  And,  while  he  contemplates  such  ob- 
jects and  operations,  his  admiration  is  excited  by  the  in- 
comprehensible knowledge  displayed  in  the  contrivance  of 
the  universe,  the  boundless  benevolence  which  extends 
over  all  these  works,  and  the  omnipotent  power  ])y  which 
all  the  mighty  movements  of  Creation  and  Providence  are 
effected.  And,  while  he  admires,  he  is  iilled  with  stronji: 
emotions  of  reverence  of  the  glorious  perfections  of  that 


HUMILITY.  87 

Being,  whose  mighty  hand  conducts  those  stupendous 
movements,  and  he  feels  the  full  force  of  the  impressive 
exhortation  of  the  Psalmist,  ''  Let  all  the  earth  fear  the 
Lord  ;  let  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  stand  in  awe  of 
him:  for  he  spake,  and  it  was  done;  he  commanded,  and 
it  stood  fast."  Even  the  abstract  conceptions  we  have  of 
the  immensity  of  the  Divine  Being,  by  which  he  is  present 
in  every  part  of  infinite  space — the  eternity  of  his  duration, 
and  the  range  of  his  omniscience  which  embraces  an  inti- 
mate knowledge  of  the  thoughts,  the  purposes,  and  the  ac- 
tions of  all  creatures ;  are  calculated  to  overpower  the 
mind  with  emotions  of  veneration  and  awe,  blended  with 
feelings  of  affection  and  delight  at  the  recollection  of  the 
relation  in  which  we  stand  to  this  glorious  Intelligence. 

Again,  Love  to  God  includes  Humility  and  self-abasement 
in  the  divine  Presence.  There  is  no  disposition  which  ap- 
pears more  incompatible  with  supreme  affection  for  the  Cre- 
ator than  pride,  haughtiness,  and  arrogance.  "  God  resist- 
eth  the  proud."  Even  "  a  proud  look"  is  declared  to  be  an 
"  abomination"  in  his  sight.  And,  if  the  indulgence  of 
pride  be  inconsistent  v/ith  the  Jove  of  God,  humility  must 
be  regarded  as  one  of  its  essential  and  distinguishing  accom- 
paniments. When  a  man  who  loves  God  reflects  on  his 
condition  and  character — that  he  is  a  creature  who  derived 
his  existence  from  a  superior  Being,  to  whom  he  is  indebt- 
ed for  all  his  powers  and  faculties,  and  by  whose  power  and 
mercy  he  is  every  moment  preserved  in  existence  ;  when  he 
considers  his  station  in  the  universe — that  he  is  only  like 
an  atom  in  the  immensity  of  creation,  when  compared  with 
the  innumerable  beings  which  people  its  wide  domains — 
that  he  stands  near  the  lowest  part  of  the  scale  of  intelli- 
gent existence,  and  that  "  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
are  as  grasshoppers"  before  Him  who  sits  on  the  throne  of 
the  heavens ;  when  he  recollects  that  he  has  apostatized 
from  the  God  who  made  him,  that  he  is  guilty  of  innume- 
rable violations  of  his  righteous  laws,  and  stands  condem- 
ned at  the  bar  of  Him  "  who  is  of  purer  eyes  than  to  be- 
hold iniquity  ;''  when  he  contemplates  the  circumstances 
in  which  he  is  now  placed  in  consequence  of  his  trans- 
gressions— the  pains,  diseases,  poverty,  bereavements,  and 
reproaches,  to  which  he  is  subjected ;  the  storms,  and 
tempests,  and  elemental  war  to  which  he  is  exposed  ;  the 


88  THE  PHILOSOPHY   OF    RELIGION. 

degradation  "Nvhich  awaits  his  body  at  the  hour  of  dissolu- 
tion and  in  the  mansions  of  the  tomb ;  and  the  ignorance, 
the  errors,  and  folhes,  into  which  he  has  fallen  ; — when 
he  considers  that  "  lowliness  of  mind"  is  a  characteristic 
of  the  most  exalted  of  created  intelligences,  who  "  veil 
their  faces"  in  the  Divine  Presence,  and  cheerfully  extend 
their  benevolent  regards  to  the  meanest  human  being  who 
is  an  "  heir  of  salvation";  and,  above  all,  when  he  re- 
flects on  the  ineffable  grandeur  of  that  Being  before  whom 
"  all  nations  are  as  the  drop  of  a  bucket,"  he  is  convinced 
that  pride  is  the  most  unreasonable  principle  that  can  exist 
in  the  human  breast,  and  that  the  most  profound  hinmlity 
ought  forever  to  charaeterize  his  thoughts  and  actions, 
both  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  before  the  eyes  of  men. 
On  such  a  character  only  will  "  the  High  and  Lofty  One 
who  inhabits  eternity,"  look  with  complacency,  and  in 
such  a  heart  alone  can  the  love  of  God  be  expected  to  re- 
side in  all  its  generous  and  noble  exercises.  Such  a  dis- 
position, mingling  with  all  the  other  benevolent  affections, 
will  render  them  sweet  and  delightful ;  it  will  render  us 
amiable  in  the  eyes  of  our  fellow-men  ;  it  will  secure  us 
against  all  the  wretched  effects,  and  boisterous  passions 
which  flow  from  haughtiness  and  pride  ;  it  will  mitigate 
the  sorrows,  the  perplexities  and  anxieties  to  which  we 
are  subjected  in  our  earthly  pilgrimage  ;  it  will  enable  us 
to  preserve  our  minds  tranquil  and  serene  amidst  the  pro- 
vocations, the  aflronts,  and  the  contentions  to  which  we 
are  exposed  in  our  intercourses  with  general  society,  and 
will  prepare  us  for  associating  with  the  inhabitants  of  that 
happier  world,  where  seraphic  love,  profound  reverence  of 
the  Divine  Majesty,  and  profound  humility  mingle  with 
all  their  intercources  and  employments. 

Resigjiation  to  the  providential  dispensations  of  the  Al- 
mighty, is  another  manifestation  and  accompaniment  of 
Love  to  God.  To  be  habitually  discontented,  and  to  mur- 
mur and  repine  under  the  allotments  of  his  providence, 
must,  obviously,  appear  to  be  inconsistent  with  sin(;ere 
and  ardent  affection  for  the  Supreme  Disposer  of  events. 
Kesignation  to  the  will  of  God  is  the  duty  of  every  intelh- 
gent  creature  towards  the  Creator ;  and  in  proportion  to 
the  degree  in  which  this  principle  exists,  will  be  the  hap- 
piness of  the  intellectual  being  that  exercises  it.     AngeU 


RESIGNATION*  89 

are  perfectly  happy,  because  they  are  perfectly  submissive 
to  the  will  of  their  Creator — being  fully  contented  with 
ike  station  allotted  them  in  the  universe,  and  completely 
resigned  to  all  the  future  services  and  allotments  which 
Infinite  Wisdom  has  ordained.  Wherever  pure  affection 
towards  God  actuates  the  mind,  among  the  inhabitants  of 
our  world,  it  produces  a  disposition  similar  in  kind, 
though  inferior  in  degree,  to  that  which  animates  the 
breasts  of  the  Cherubim,  and  the  Seraphim  in  the  regions 
of  bliss. 

He,  who  is  actuated  by  this  noble  principle,  regards 
every  providential  event  as  the  appointment  of  his  Father 
in  heaven.  The  devouring  flames  may  consume  his  hab- 
itation to  ashes,  and  scatter  his  treasures  to  "  the  four 
winds  of  heaven;"  the  ship  in  which  his  wealth  is  em- 
barked may  be  dashed  against  the  rocks,  and  sink  "  as 
lead  in  the  mighty  waters  ;"  his  friends  may  forsake  him 
in  the  season  of  his  deepest  anxiety  and  distress  ;  the 
wife  of  his  bosom,  whom  he  tenderly  loved,  may  be 
snatched  from  his  embrace  by  the  cold  hand  of  death  ; 
his  children,  dearer  to  him  than  his  own  soul,  may  fall 
victims,  one  after  another,  to  some  pestilential  disease, 
and  be  for  ever  removed  from  his  sight  to  the  "  land  of 
deep  forgetfulness  ;"  his  familiar  friend  in  whom  he  trust- 
ed may  "  lift  up  his  heel  against  him,"  and  load  him  with 
unmerited  reproaches  ;  his  own  body  may  be  chastened 
with  sore  pain  and  loathsome  disease ;  a  fall  from  a 
horse  may  break  the  bones  of  his  leg,  and  render  him 
lame  for  life  ;  a  random  blow  may  bruise  his  eye-balls, 
and  deprive  him  of  all  the  entertainments  of  vision ;  he 
may  be  stretched,  for  many  long  years,  on  the  bed  of 
languishing ;  his  country  may  either  be  ravaged  and  laid 
waste  by  destroying  armies,  or  rains  and  inundations  may 
sweep  away  the  produce  of  his  fields.  But  under  all  sucii 
calamities,  he  bows  with  submission  to  the  will  of  Him 
"  who  rules  in  the  whirlwind  and  directs  the  storm ;" 
not  because  he  has  fortified  his  mind  with  a  stoical  apathy 
and  indifference  towards  the  evils  of  life  ;  not  be- 
cause he  is  incapable  of  feeling  the  evils  he  is  doomed  to 
suffer  ;  for  he  may^  feel  them  in  the  acutest  degree,  even 
while  he  exercises  full  resignation ;  but  he  is  resigned, 
because  he  feels  assured  that  they  are  the  appointment  of 
8 


90  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION- 

liis  Almighty  Friend — that  they  are  parts  of  the  plan  of 
unerring  Wisdom — that  they  are  intimately  connected 
with  the  whole  chain  of  Providence  that  runs  through 
his  present  existence — that  they  are  intended,  in  the 
scheme  of  Infinite  Benevolence,  to  promote  his  happiness 
in  a  way  which  his  limited  faculties  are  unable  at  present 
to  comprehend — and,  that  they  have  a  bearing  on  the 
scenes  and  enjoyments  of  the  eternal  world.  And,  there- 
fore, under  the  pressure  of  his  most  painful  feelings,  he  is 
enabled  to  adopt  the  triumphant  language  of  the  prophet, 
"  Although  the  fig-tree  shall  not  blossom,  neither  fruit  be 
in  the  vine ;  the  labour  of  the  olive  fail,  and  the  fields 
yield  no  meat,  the  flock  be  cut  off  from  the  fold,  and 
there  be  no  herd  in  the  stall ;  yet  will  I  rejoice  in  the 
Lord,  I  will  be  glad  in  the  God  of  my  salvation."  While 
others  murmur  and  rage,  and  toss  themselves  like  a  wild 
bull  in  a  net,  and  curse  the  supposed  authors  of  their  ca- 
lamities, he  is  enabled  to  "  possess  his  soul  in  patience," 
convinced  of  the  rectitude  of  the  divine  dispensations ; 
and  thus  displays  a  nobleness  of  mind,  and  a  heroism 
which  is  "  above  all  Greek,  above  all  Koman  fame." 

Again,  Love  to  God  comprehends  Gratitude  for  the  ben- 
efits he  bestows.  Gratitude  is  that  particular  modification 
of  Love  which  flows  out  towards  God  considered  as  the 
Author  and  Bestower  of  all  felicity  :  it  is  love  excited  by 
kindness  communicated  from  benevolent  motives.  It  is 
one  of  the  most  natural  and  obvious  manifestations  of  that 
general  principle  Avhich  I  have  been  hitherto  illustrating ; 
for  ingratitude  is  altogether  inconsistent  with  love  to  a 
benefactor.  In  order  to  kindle  this  amiable  afiection  into 
a  lively  flame,  the  person  in  whose  bosom  it  glows  endea- 
vours to  take  a  minute  and  expansive  survey  of  the  "  lov- 
ing kindness  of  God,"  and  of  the  countless  variety  of  ben- 
efits he  is  continually  receiving.  He  feels  grateful  to  God 
for  his  existence,  for  the  powers  and  capacities  with  which 
he  is  endowed,  for  the  rank  which  he  holds  in  the  scale 
of  terrestrial  existence ;  in  being  raised  above  the  clods 
of  the  valley,  and  furnished  with  faculties  superior  to  the 
beasts  of  the  forest  and  the  fowls  of  heaven.  He  feels 
grateful  that  he  was  brought  into  existence  in  a  Christian 
land,  and  in  civilized  society,  that  the  "  glad  tidings  of 
salvation"  have  reached  his  ears,  that  "  God  so  loved  the 


GRATITUDE.  91 

world  that  He  gave  his  only  begotten  8on  tliat  whosoever 
believeth  on  him  might  not  perish  but  have  everlasting 
life,"  and  that  every  enjoyment  requisite  for  his  present 
and  future  happiness  is  secured  through  this  plan  of  Di- 
vine Benevolence.  But  he  does  not  rest  satisfied  with 
vague  and  general  views  of  these  important  benefits :  he 
contemplates  the  degradation  into  which  sin  had  plunged 
him,  the  greatness  of  the  misery  from  which  the  love  of 
God  has  delivered  him,  the  moral  perfection  of  his  nature 
to  which  he  is  now  training,  the  serenity  of  mind  he  ex- 
periences in  the  practice  of  the  divine  precepts,  the  secu- 
rity he  feels  for  his  present  and  future  safety  under  the 
protection  of  Omnipotence,  the  "  strong  consolation"  un- 
der the  evils  of  life  which  the  promises  of  God  lead  him 
to  expect,  the  victory  over  death  of  which  he  is  secured 
*'  through  Christ  Jesus  his  lord,"  the  resurrection  of  his 
body  at  the  close  of  time,  the  "  new  heavens  and  the  new 
earth"  to  which  he  is  destined  at  the  dissolution  of  this 
sublunary  system,  the  alliance  into  which  he  is  brought  to 
the  angelic  tribes  and  other  pure  intelligences,  his  moral 
capacity  for  associating  with  every  holy  being  in  the  uni- 
verse, and  the  endless  succession  of  transporting  scenes 
which  will  burst  upon  his  view  through  the  ages  of  eter- 
nity. While  contemplating  these  high  privileges,  in  all 
their  bearings  and  varied  ramifications,  emotions  of  alTec- 
tion  and  gratitude  arise  in  his  breast  which  can  only  be 
expressed  in  the  language  of  elevated  devotion. 

"  O  how  shall  words,  with  equal  warmth, 

The  (gratitude  declare 
That  glows  M'ithin  my  ravish'd  heart ! 

But  Thou  canst  read  it  there." 

"  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul !  and  all  that  is  within 
me,  bless  his  holy  name.  Give  thanks  to  the  Lord  and 
forget  not  all  his  benefits :  who  forgiveth  all  thine  iniqui- 
ties, who  healeth  all  thy  diseases  ;  who  redeemeth  thy 
life  from  destruction,  and  crowneth  thee  with  loving-kind- 
ness and  tender  mercies." 

Nor  does  he  feel  less  grateful  to  God  for  his  kindness 
as  displayed  in  the  material  world,  and  in  the  ordinary 
course  of  his  providence.  He  feels  grateful  for  those 
scenes  of  sublimity  and    beauty  M'ith   which  the   visible 


92  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

universe  is  adorned — for  the  sun  when  he  ascends  the  ■ 
vauk  of  heaven,  and  diffuses  his  radiance  over  the  moun- 
tains and  the  vales — for  tlie  moon,  when  she  "  walks  in 
brightness"  through  the  heavens,  and  cheers  the  shades 
of  night — for  the  planets,  while  they  run  their  ample 
rounds,  and  evince,  by  their  magnitude  and  motions,  the 
eternal  omnipotence  of  their  Maker — for  the  innumerable 
host  of  stars,  which  unite  their  splendours  to  adorn  the 
canopy  of  the  sky,  and  display  the  riches,  and  grandeur, 
and  boundless  extent  of  God's  universal  kingdom — for 
the  light,  which  darts  with  inconceivable  rapidity  from 
the  celestial  luminaries,  and  diffuses  a  thousand  shades 
of  colour  on  the  terrestrial  landscape — for  the  surround- 
ing atmosphere,  which  supports  the  element  of  fne,  con- 
veys the  clouds  over  every  region,  and  sustains  and  in- 
vigorates the  functions  of  animal  life — for  the  variety  of 
beautiful  and  majestic  scenery  which  diversifies  our  ter- 
restrial system — for  the  towering  cliffs,  the  lofty  moun- 
tains, and  the  expansive  vales — for  the  meandering  river, 
gliding  through  the  fields,  and  diffusing  health  and  fer- 
tility wherever  it  ffows — for  the  riches  which  abound  in 
the  gardens,  the  forests,  and  the  fields  and  the  mineral 
treasures  contained  in  the  bowels  of  the  mountains — for 
the  harmony  of  musical  sounds,  the  mellifluous  notes  of 
the  nightingale  and  the  lark,  and  the  melodious  warblings 
Avhich  resound  from  the  vales,  the  mountains,  and  the 
groves — for  the  flowers  which  enamel  the  meadows,  the 
trees,  the  shrubs,  and  the  waving  grain  wdiich  adorn  the 
earth  with  picturesque  beauty — for  the  animated  beings 
■which  contribute  to  our  comfort ;  the  bee,  which  collects 
for  us  honey  from  every  opening  flower ;  the  sheep,  which 
yields  its  fleeces  for  our  clothing  ;  and  thousands  of  other 
creatures,  which  contribute  to  supply  us  with  food,  rai- 
ment, furniture,  and  innumerable  enjoyments.  In  all 
these,  and  similar  objects,  he  perceives  ample  reasons  for 
elevating  his  soul,  in  lively  gratitude,  to  his  bountiful 
Benefactor. 

When  he  turns  his  eyes  upon  himself,  and  considers  the 
wonderful  machinery  which  gives  life  and  motion  to  his 
frame,  he  perceives  the  strongest  reason  for  tlie  exercise 
of  incessant  admiration  and  gratitude.  He  feels  grateful 
for  every  joint  of  his  fingers,  and  for  every  movement  of 


GRATITUDE.  93 

his  wrist,  by  which  he  is  enabled  with  the  utmost  ease, 
to  perform  a  countless  variety  of  manual  operations  essen- 
tial to  his  comfort — for  the  hundreds  of  bones  which  sup- 
port his  animal  system,  with  their  various  articulations,  and 
the  hundreds  of  nmscles  and  tendons  which  arel  interwo- 
ven with  every  part  of  the  machine,  which  enable  it  to 
perform,  without  the  least  obstruction,  a  thousand  varied 
movements  subservient  to  his  health,  convenience,  and 
pleasure.  He  cannot  walk  through  his  apartment,  nor 
lift  his  eyes  to  the  heavens,  nor  move  a  joint  of  his  finger, 
nor  draw  a  single  breath,  without  perceiving  an  evidence 
of  the  wisdom  and  intelligence  of  his  Almighty  Maker. 
He  perceives  that  if  only  one  joint  were  wanting,  or  one  mus- 
cle out  of  action,  or  one  movement  out  of  a  thousand,  inter- 
rupted, he  would  instantly  be  subjected  to  a  thousand  pain- 
ful sensations,  which  would  throw  a  gloom  on  every  eartii- 
ly  enjoyment.  But  especially,  when  he  rellects  on  the 
wonders  of  vision — the  thousands  of  millions  of  rays  that 
are  every  moment  dartinof  from  the  objects  around  him, 
crossing  each  other  in  an  infinity  of  directions,  and  yet 
conveying  to  every  eye  a  distinct  perception  of  their  col- 
ours, motions,  and  diversified  aspects ;  when  he  reflects 
on  the  facility  with  which  he  can  turn  his  eye  in  every  di- 
rection, upwards  and  downwards,  to  the  right  hand  and  to 
the  left,  and,  in  a  moment,  take  in  the  landscape  of  the 
earth  and  the  heavens  "  at  a  small  inlet,  which  a  grain 
might  close :"  when  he  considers  the  numerous  and  com- 
plicated movements  continually  going  on  within  him — the 
heart,  like  a  powerful  engine,  in  perpetual  motion,  impel- 
ling, with  prodigious  force,  streams  of  blood  through  a 
thousand  different  tubes — the  numerous  lacteal  and  lym- 
phatic vessels,  absorbing  nutriment  from  the  food,  and 
conveying  it  through  every  part  of  this  wonderful  machine  ; 
when  he  considers  that  these  incessant  motions  are,  as  it 
were,  the  immediate  hand  of  the  Divinity  within  him, 
over  which  he  can  exercise  no  control,  and  which  are  all 
intended  to  preserve  his  existence,  and  minister  to  his  en- 
joyment,— he  cannot  forbear  exclaiming,  in  the  language 
of  grateful  admiration,  "  How  precious  are  thy  wonderful 
contrivances  concerning  me,  0  God  !  how  great  is  the  sum 
of  them  !  If  I  should  count  them,  they  are  more  in  num- 
8* 


94  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

ber  than  the  sand.  I  will  praise  thee  ;  for  I  am  fearfully 
and  wonderfully  made  !" 

He  does  not  overlook  such  instances  of  "  the  loving- 
kindness  of  God,"  because,  to  some,  they  may  appear  mi- 
nute and  trivial.  He  does  not  contrast  them  with  what 
are  reckoned  spiritual  and  more  important  blessings  ;  nor 
attempt  to  institute  comparisons  between  the  beneficent 
operations  of  Omnipotence,  in  order  to  throw  a  certain 
portion  of  them  into  the  shade.  He  considers  all  the  op- 
erations of  God,  from  the  plan  of  redemption  for  guilty 
men,  and  the  mission  of  his  Son  into  our  world,  to  the  mi- 
nutest muscle  that  moves  the  joint  of  a  finger,  or  the  ray 
of  light  that  darts  from  a  flower  of  the  field,  as  parts  of  one 
vast  system  of  boundless  benevolence,  as  essentially  con- 
nected together  as  the  links  of  a  chain  :  and,  in  regard  to 
himself,  he  views  all  the  variety  of  blessings  now  alluded 
to,  as  one  undivided  stream  of  unbounded  beneficence, 
commencing  with  the  first  moment  of  his  existence,  run- 
ning through  all  the  scenes  and  circumstances  of  his  ter- 
restrial existence,  and  expanding  into  the  unfathomable 
ocean  of  eternity.  In  the  whole  series  of  contrivances 
and  events  which  relate  to  his  present  and  future  existence, 
both  in  what  we  consider  the  minutest  and  the  most  mag- 
nificent works  of  the  Deity,  he  perceives  the  stamp  of  In- 
finite Perfection^  and  a  connection  of  plan  and  of  operation, 
which  excludes  all  attempts  at  comparisons  and  contrasts. 
Under  such  impressions,  and  with  such  views  of  the  con- 
catenation of  every  part  of  the  scheme  of  divine  benevo- 
lence, he  is  led  to  contemplate  the  kindness  of  God  at  ev- 
ery step,  and  in  every  object,  and  is  ever  ready  to  exclaim, 
"  What  shall  I  render  to  the  Lord  for  all  his  benefits  to- 
ward me  ?'* 

In  fine,  supreme  love  to  God  includes,  in  its  exercise, 
a  delight  in  the  public  and  private  exercises  of  his  worship, 
a  constant  endeavour  to  yield  a  willing  and  unreserved 
obedience  to  all  the  institutions  he  has  appointed,  and  to 
all  the  laws  he  has  issued  forth  for  counteracting  the  de- 
pravity of  our  natures,  and  for  raising  us  to  a  state  of  mo- 
ral perfection ;  an  active  and  enlightened  zeal  for  the 
honour  of  his  name,  and  for  promoting  those  institutions 
which  have  a  tendency  to  advance  his  kingdom  in  the  earth ; 
a  sincere  and  disinterested  affection  to  all  our  fellow-men» 


SUBLIMITY    OF    THE    PRINCIPLE    OF    LOVE.  95 

?ind  particularly  to  every  class  of  holy  intelligences ;  a 
cordial  approbation  of  all  his  plans  and  movements  in 
creation  and  providence  ;  and  devout  aspirations  after 
that  higher  state  of  existence,  where  the  glories  of  his 
nature  and  "  the  kindness  of  his  love"  shall  be  more  clear- 
ly unfolded,  and  where  love  shall  glow  in  one  uninterrup- 
ted and  perpetual  emotion. 

Thus,  it  appears  that  love  to  God  consists  in  compla- 
cency in  his  character  and  administration,  and  is  inseparably 
connected  with  admiration  of  his  wonderful  works,  with 
humility,  resignation,  and  gratitude. 

I  cannot  conclude  my  remarks  on  this  topic  without 
adverting,  for  a  little,  to  the  nobleness  and  sublimity  of 
this  first  and  fundamental  spring  of  all  moral  action.  From 
what  has  been  already  stated,  it  appears  that  love  to  God 
is  the  most  reasonable  and  amiable  affection  that  can 
animate  the  human  mind  ;  for  that  Being  who  is  the  ob- 
ject of  it  is  the  sum  of  all  perfection,  the  standard  of  all 
moral  and  physical  excellence,  and  the  source  of  all  the 
felicity  enjoyed  by  every  rank  of  existence  throughout 
the  boundless  universe.  It  is  also  the  most  sublime  and 
cxpansiue  affection  that  can  pervade  the  mind  of  any  cre- 
ated intelligence.  It  excites  the  most  rapturous  emotions 
when  we  contemplate  the  harmonies,  the  beauties,  and 
the  sublimities  of  the  universe  ;  for  it  recognizes  them  as 
the  displays  of  boundless  wisdom  and  boundless  good- 
ness ;  as  the  production  of  that  Almighty  Being  who 
stands  in  the  relation  of  our  Father  and  our  Friend ;  and 
leads  us  to  conclude,  that  that  power  and  intelligence 
which  gave  birth  to  all  that  is  grand  and  beautiful  in 
heaven  and  on  earth,  will  be  forever  exercised  in  contri- 
buting to  our  eternal  enjoyment.  Without  such  a  recog- 
nition, creation  appears  only  like  an  immense  desert,  and 
is  apt  to  fill  the  mind  with  apprehension  and  terror  ;  for  it 
can  feel  no  pleasurable  emotions  in  contemplating  the 
operations  of  a  Being  for  whom  it  entertains  no  affection- 
ate regard.  But,  in  our  solitary  walks  in  the  fields  and 
the  gardens,  amidst  the  emanations  of  divine  munifi- 
cence ;  in  our  journeys  through  the  fertile  plains  ;  in  our 
excursions  through  the  Alpine  scenes  of  nature  ;  in  our 
investigations  into  the  structure  of  the  animal  and  veg- 
etable tribes;  and  in  our  contemplations  on  the  wonder* 


06  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

of t}ie  stariy  sky — love  throws  a  radiance  on  all  these  ob- 
jects, and  excites  an  interest  which  cannot  be  appreciated 
by  that  mind  which  has  never  felt  the  force  of  this  sacred 
emotion. 

It  renders  us  superior  to  the  ills  of  life,  while,  under  its 
influence,  we  bow,  in  cordial  submission,  to  the  divine 
dispensations,  as  the  result  of  perfect  wisdom,  rectitude, 
and  benevolence.  It  enables  us  to  recognize  the  hand 
of  a  Divine  Benefactor  in  every  enjoyment,  and  the  rod 
of  an  affectionate  Father  in  every  trial  and  affliction  to 
which  we  are  subjected.  It  raises  the  soul  above  the 
carking  cares  and  degrading  pursuits  of  the  world,  and 
enables  it  to  look  down  with  heroic  indifference  on  all  those 
trivial  incidents  and  fancied  insults  which  irritate,  and 
inflame,  and  torment  "  the  children  of  pride."  It  preserves 
the  mind  in  calm  serenity  amidst  the  raging  of  the  tem- 
pest, the  rolling  thunders,  the  whirlwind  and  the  hurri- 
cane, the  eruptions  of  the  volcano,  and  the  convulsions 
of  the  earthquake  ;  while  it  recognizes  the  Ruler  of  the 
storm,  who  presides  amidst  the  crash  of  w'arring  elements, 
as  its  omnipotent  Protector  and  its  eternal  refuge.*  It  en- 
ables the  man  in  whose  bosom  it  resides,  to  contemplate 
with  composure  the  downfall  of  kings  and  the  revolutions 
of  nations,  to  anticipate  the  hour  of  his  dissolution  with- 
out dismay,  and  to  look  forward  with  fortitude  to  the  ru- 
ms of  dissolving  nature,  when  "  the  elements  shall  melt 
with  fervent  heat,"  and  the  earth,  with  all  its  magnifl- 
cence,  shall  be  wrapt  in  flames ;  confident  that,  under 
"  the    shadow  of  the  wings   of  the  Almighty,"   he    shall 


*  The  celebrated  A'frcAer,  in  his  relation  of  the  dreadful  earthquake 
\n  Calabria,  in  1638,  which  overthrew  the  city  of  Eu])hcniia,  of  which 
he  was  a  spectator,  expresses  his  feelin£rs  on  that  occasion  in  thei'ol- 
lowinii;  words  : — "  The  universal  niin  around  me,  the  ciaBh  of  falhni<r 
houses,  the  totterinjf  of  towers,  and  the  groans  of  the  dyiniT,  all  con- 
tributed to  raise  terror  and  despair.  On  every  side  oi'ine,  I  saw  no- 
thing but  a  scene  of  ruin  and  danger  threatening  wherever  I  should  fly. 
1  commended  myself  to  God,  as  my  last  great  refuge.  At  that  hour, 
O  how  vain  was  every  sublunary  happiness  !  wealth,  honour,  empire, 
wisdom,  all  mere  useless  sounds,  and  as  empty  as  the  bubbles  of  the 
deep.  Just  standing  on  the  threshold  of  eternity,  nothing  but  God 
was  my  pleasure ;  and  the  nearer  I  approached,  I  only  loved  him  tUa 
more." 


SUBLIMITY    OF    THE    PRINCIPLE    OF    LOVE.  97 

remain  in  perfect  security,  amidst  "  the   wreck     of  matter 
and  the  crush  of  worlds." 

This  divine  principle  assimilates  us  to  angels,  and  to 
every  other  class  of  holy  intelligences.  It  renders  us 
qualified  for  associating  with  these  superior  intellectual  na- 
tures— for  entering  into  their  vast  and  comprehensive  viewa 
— for  conversing  with  them  on  the  sublime  topics  which 
occupy  their  attention — for  bearing  a  part  in  their  exten- 
sive schemes  of  universal  benevolence — and  for  contribut- 
ing, along  with  them,  to  the  order  and  prosperity  of  God's 
everlasting  kingdom.  It  secures  to  us  the  friendship  and 
affection  of  all  the  virtuous  inhabitants  of  the  universe, 
and  renders  us  fit  for  affectionate  intercourse  with  them, 
wherever  we  may  afterwards  exist,  throughout  the  bound- 
less expanse  of  creation.  Should  we  ever  be  permitted, 
during  the  lapse  of  eternal  duration,  to  wing  our  flight 
from  world  to  world,  in  order  to  enlarge  our  views  of 
God's  unbounded  empire,  the  exercise  of  this  holy  affec- 
tion would  secure  to  us  a  friendly  reception  and  an  affec- 
tionate intercourse  among  all  the  pure  intelligences  with- 
in the  range  of  his  moral  administration :  for,  as  this  prin- 
ciple is  founded  on  the  nature  of  God,  who  is  eternal  and 
unchangeable,  it  must  pervade  the  minds  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  all  worlds  that  have  retained  their  primitive  in- 
tegrity. It  is  this  divine  affection  which  excites  the  rap- 
turous flame  that  glows  in  the  breasts  of  the  angelic  tribes, 
which  enlivens  the  songs  and  the  adorations  of  the  cherubim 
and  the  seraphim,  which  inspires  them  with  a  noble  ardour 
in  executing  the  commands  of  their  Creator,  and  which 
animates  them  in  their  flight  from  the  celestial  regions  to 
this  obscure  corner  of  creation,  when  they  minister  to  the 
heirs  of  salvation.  It  was  this  noble  principle  which  im- 
pelled the  angel  Gabriel  in  his  rapid  flight  through  the 
celestial  spaces,  when  he  descended  to  announce  to  Dan- 
iel the  answer  to  his  supplications,  and  to  Zacharias  and 
Mary  the  birth  of  the  Saviour ;  which  animated  the  an- 
gels who  unbarred  the  prison  doors  to  Peter,  and  gave  as- 
surance to  Paul  of  the  divine  protection,  while  he  was 
tossing  on  the  tempestuous  billows  of  the  Adriatic  sea ; 
and  which  fanned  the  flame  of  devotion  in  the  heavenly 
host,  when  they  sung,  in  the  plains  of  Bethlehem,  "  Glo- 


98  THE     PHILOSOPHY    OF    IlELIGION. 

ry  to  God  in  the  highest,  peace  on  earth,   and  good-will 
towards  men." 

In  line,  this  sublime  affection  assimilates  us  to  God, 
who  is  benevolence  itself,  who  supremely  loves  his  own 
character,  and  who  is  incessantly  displaying  his  benevo- 
lence, in  all  its  infinitely  diversified  effects,  throughout 
the  intelligent  universe.  It  assimilates  us  to  Jesus  the 
Son  of  the  Highest,  who  is  "  the  brightness  of  the  Fa- 
ther's glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his  person,*'  and 
who  is  forever  actuated  with  fervent  zeal  for  the  honour 
of  God,  and  for  the  happiness  of  man.  It  constitutes  the 
foundation  of  all  felicity ;  it  opens  the  gates  to  perpetual 
enjoyment ;  it  secures  its  possessor  of  eternal  happiness, 
as  its  natural  and  necessary  result,  and  prepares  him  for 
mingling  in  the  employments  of  the  "  innumerable  com- 
pany of  angels  and  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect  :'* 
for,  all  the  transporting  scenes  of  glory,  and  all  the  ave- 
nues to  felicity,  which  will  be  opened  to  the  immortal 
spirit,  while  ages,  numerous  as  the  sand,  are  rolling  on, 
while  mighty  worlds  are  emerging  out  of  nothing,  and 
innumerable  orders  of  beings  are  starting  into  existence, 
may  be  considered  as  so  many  infinitely  diversified  streams 
flowing  from  supreme  affection  to  the  blessed  God,  as  the 
spring  of  every  rapturous  enjoyment.  Possessed  of  this 
divine  principle,  we  secure  the  most  honourable  connec- 
tions, become  benefactors  to  the  intelligent  universe,  par- 
ticipators of  the  enjoyments  of  seraphic  natures,  agents 
for  carrying  forward  the  plans  of  Infinite  Benevolence, 
and  "  workers  together  with  God,"  in  accomplishing 
his  eternal  designs.  Without  it,  we  become  nuisances  in 
the  kingdom  of  (xod,  rebels  against  his  government,  pests 
to  fellow  intelligences,  destitute  of  the  noblest  of  all  af- 
fections, deprived  of  substantial  enjoyment  in  the  present 
world,  and  exposed  to  misery,  Avithout  interruption,  in  the 
world  to  come. 

If  such  be  the  native  effects  of  supreme  love  to  (nJod, 
and  if  this  principle  lie  at  the  foundation  of  all  genuine 
morality,  how  foolish  and  preposterous  is  it  for  Christian 
moralists  to  wander  through  the  dark  labyrinths  of  Greek 
and  Roman  literature,  and  the  intricate  mazes  of  modern 
sceptical  philosopliy,  in  search  of  any  otlicr  principles  of 
moral   action  ?     it  is  like  groping  for  the  light  of  the  sun 


SUBLIMITY    OF  THE    PRINCIPLE    OF    LOVE.  99 

ill  the  windings  of  a  subterraneous  grotto,  and  preferring 
the  glimmering  of  a  taper  to  the  full  blaze  of  the  orb  of 
day.  It  is,  to  forsake  "  the  fountain  of  living  waters, 
and  to  hew  out  to  ourselves  broken  and  empty  cisterns, 
that  can  hold  no  water." 

In  order  to  invigorate  and  expand  this  alElection  in  the 
mind,  it  is  requisite  that  we  take  a  comprehensive  view  of 
all  the  manifestations  of  that  Being  towards  whom  it  is  di- 
rected, as  exhibited  in  the  history  of  his  operations  record- 
ed in  the  volume  of  Inspiration  ;  in  the  details  of  his  mor- 
al government  among  the  nations,  both  in  ancient  and  in 
modern  times,  which  may  be  collected  from  the  writings 
of  historians,  voyagers,  travellers,  and  missionaries ;  in 
the  economy  of  the  inferior  tribes  of  animated  beings  ; 
in  the  diversified  scenery  of  nature  around  iis  in  our  ter- 
restrial system ;  and  in  the  sublime  movements  that  are 
going  forward,  among  distant  worlds,  in  the  firmament  of 
his  power  :  for,  the  more  we  know  of  the  manifestations 
of  the  Creator,  the  more  acquaintance  shall  we  have  of  the 
Creator  himself ;  and,  in  proportion  as  our  knowledge  of 
his  character  is  enlarged,  in  a  similar  proportion  will  our 
love  be  ardent  and  expansive.  Such  extensive  views  and 
contemplations  are  indispensably  requisite,  in  order  to  a 
full  recognition  of  the  divine  injunction  :  "  Thou  shalt 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  with  all  thy 
strength,  and  with  all  thine  understanding.''^  This  is  the 
first  and  the  great  commandment. 


CHAPTER  II. 


SECOND    PRINCIPLE    OF    MORAL    ACTION LOVE    TO  ALL  SUB- 
ORDINATE   INTELLIGENCES. 


In  the  commencement  of  the  last  chapter,  I  had  occa- 
alon  to  remark  that,  strictly  speaking,  the  fundamental 
principle  or  affection  which  gives  birth  to  all  the  ramifica- 
tions of  moral  action,  is  but  one,  namely,  Love.  This  no- 
ble affection  may  be  considered  as  dividing  itself  into  two 
great  streams,  one  directing  its  course  towards  the  Crea- 
tor, as  the  supreme  Source  of  all  felicity,  and  the  other  ex- 
panding itself  towards  all  the  intellectual  beings  which  he 
has  formed. 

Having,  in  the  preceding  pages,  endeavoured  to  illus- 
trate the  foundation  and  the  reasonableness  of  the  princi- 
ple of  love  to  God,  from  a  consideration  of  his  perfections, 
character,  and  relations,  and  having  described  some  of 
those  kindred  affections  by  which  its  existence  in  the 
minds  of  moral  agents  is  manifested, — I  shall  now  endeav- 
our to  exhibit  the  foundation,  and  the  reasonableness,  of 
that  modification  of  love  which  is  directed  towards  created 
intelligences,  and  which  may  be  termed  the  second  principle 
of  moral  action — Tiiou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as 
THYSELF.  Taking  it  for  granted  that  this  is  the  fundamen- 
tal law  prescribed  by  the  Creator  for  regulating  the  conduct 
of  intelligent  beings  towards  each  other — because  the  su- 
preme Lawgiver  has  proclaimed  it  as  such  in  the  revela- 
tion which  he  has  given  us  of  his  will — I  shall  endeavour 
to  exhibit  the  reasonableness  and  the  beauty  of  this  amia- 
ble principle — from  the  nature  of  man,  and  the  relations 
in  which  all  the  individuals  of  the  human  race  stand  to 
each  other — from  the  happiness  which  would  flow  from 
the  uniform  operation  of  this  principle — and  from  the  mis- 
ery which  would  inevitably  ensue  were  it  completely 
eradicated  from  the  minds  of  moral  agents. 


LOVE    TO  OUR    NEIGHBOUR.  101 

Before  proceeding  to  the  illustration  of  these  particulars, 
it  may  be  proper .  to  remark,  that,  by  "  our  neighbour,^''  is 
to  be  understood, — men  of  every  nation^  and  of  every  clime., 
whether  they  avow  themselves  as  our  friends  or  our  enemies, 
and  whatever  may  he  their  language,,  their  religion,  their  rank, 
or  station.  The  inhabitants  of  New  Zealand,  of  Patago- 
nia, of  New  Holland,  of  the  Ladrones,  of  Kamtschatka,  or 
oi  Greenland,  are  our  neighbours,  in  the  sense  intended  in 
the  divine  injunction  above-quoted,  as  well  as  those  who 
reside  in  our  own  nation,  and  in  our  more  immediate 
neighbourhood.  For,  with  all  these,  and  other  tribes  of 
mankind,  we  may  happen  to  have  intercourses,  either  di- 
rectly or  indirectly  ;  and  towards  them  all  we  ought  to  ex- 
ercise an  affection  analogous  to  that  which  every  man  ex- 
ercises towards  himself.  This  we  are  decisively  taught 
by  our  Saviour  in  the  parable  of  the  good  Samaritan,  in 
which  it  is  clearly  shown,  that,  under  the  designation  of 
neighbour,  we  are  to  include  even  our  bitterest  enemies. 
His  Apostles  avowed  the  same  sentiment,  and  taught,  that, 
in  the  bonds  of  Christian  love,  no  distinction  should  exist 
between  "Jews  and  Greeks,  Barbarians,  Scythians,  bond 
or  free."  For  they  are  all  members  of  the  great  family  of 
God,  and  recognized  as  children  by  the  universal  Parent. 


SECTION  I. 

The  Natural  Equality  of  Mankind  considered  as  the  basis  of 
Love  to  our  Neighbour. 

I  SHALL  now  exhibit  a  few  considerations  founded  on  the 
Natural  Equality  of  Mankind,  in  order  to  evince  the  reason- 
ableness and  the  necessity  of  the  operation  of  the  principle 
of  love  towards  all  our  fellow-men. 

In  the  first  place.  Men,  of  whatever  rank,  kindred  or  tribe, 
are  the  offspring  of  the  great  Parent  of  the  universe.  They 
were  all  created  by  the  same  Almighty  being,  and  to  him 
they  are  indebted  for  all  the  members  and  functions  of  their 
animal  frames,  and  for  those  powers,  capacities,  and  endow- 
ments, which  render  them  superior  to  the  clods  of  the  val- 
ley, and  to  the  beasts  of  the  forest.  They  derived  tlieir  ori- 
9 


102  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

gin,  too,  as  to  their  bodies,  from  the  same  physical  priiici» 
pies,  and  from  the  same  earthly  parent.  "  Of  the  dust  of 
the  ground"  the  body  of  the  hrst  man  was  formed ;  and 
from  Adam,  the  primogenitor  of  the  human  race,  have  de- 
scended all  the  generations  of  men  which  now  exist,  or 
will  hereafter  exist  till  the  close  of  time.  This  is  equally 
true  of  the  prince  and  of  his  subjects  ;  of  the  monarch  ar- 
rayed in  purple,  and  seated  on  a  throne,  and  of  the  beggar, 
who  is  clothed  in  rags,  and  embraces  a  dunghill ;  of  the 
proud  nobleman,  who  boasts  of  a  long  line  of  illustrious 
ancestors,  and  of  the  obscure  peasant,  whose  progenitors 
were  unnoticed  and  unknown.  All  derived  their  origin 
from  the  dust,  and  all  return  to  the  dust  again.  This  con- 
sideration, on  which  it  is  unnecessary  to  dwell,  shows  the 
reasonableness  of  union  and  affection  among  men,  on  the 
same  grounds  from  which  we  conclude,  that  brothers  and 
sisters,  belonging  to  the  same  family,  ought  to  manifest  a 
friendly  affection  for  each  other. 

Secondly,  Men  of  all  nations  and  ranks  are  equal  in 
respect  to  the  mechanism  of  their  bodies,  and  the  mental 
faculties  with  which  they  are  endowed.  Whether  their 
bodies  be  rudely  covered  with  the  skins  of  beasts,  or 
adorned  with  the  splendours  of  royalty  ;  whether  they  be 
exposed  naked  to  the  scorching  heats  and  piercing  colds, 
or  arrayed  in  robes  of  silk  and  crimson — in  their  construc- 
tion and  symmetry,  they  equally  bear  the  impress  of  in- 
finite wisdom  and  omnipotence.  The  body  of  the  mean- 
est peasant,  who  earns  his  scanty  subsistence,  from  day  to 
day,  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow,  is  equally  admirable,  in 
the  motions  of  its  fingers,  the  structure  of  its  limbs,  and 
the  connection  and  uses  of  its  several  functions,  as  the 
body  of  the  mightiest  and  the  proudest  baron,  who  looks 
down  upon  him  with  contempt.  The  organs  of  vision 
comprise  as  many  coats  and  liumours,  muscular  fibres  and 
lymphatic  ducts,  and  form  as  delicate  pictures  upon  the 
retina — the  bones  are  equally  numerous,  and  as  accurately- 
articulated — the  muscles  perform  their  functions  with  as 
great  precision  and  facility — the  lymphatic  and  absorbent 
vessels  are  as  numerous  and  incessant  in  their  operations 
— and  the  heart  impels  the  blood  through  a  thousand  veins 
and  arteries,  with  as  great  a  degree  of  rapidity  and  of 
purity^  in  the  corporeal  frame  of  a  poor  African  slave,  who 


EQTTALITY    OF    MANKIND.  103 

is  daily  smarting  under  the  lush  of  an  unfeeling  planter, 
as  in  the  body  of  the  Emperor  of  China,  who  sways  his 
scoptre  over  half  the  inhabitants  of  the  globe.  All  the 
external  trappings  which  fascinate  the  vulgar  eye,  and  by 
which  the  various  ranks  of  mankind  are  distingnished, 
are  merely  adventitious,  and  have  no  necessary  connec- 
tion with  the  intrinsic  dignity  of  man.  They  are  part  of 
the  consequences  of  the  depravity  of  our  species  :  in  most 
instances,  they  are  the  results  of  vanity,  folly,  pride, 
and  frivolity  ;  and  they  constitute  no  essential  distinction 
between  man  and  man  ;  for  a  few  paltry  guineas  would 
suffice  to  deck  the  son  of  a  peasant  with  all  the  ornaments 
of  a  peer.  • 

Men  are  also  nearly  on  a  level  in  respect  to  the  mental 
faculties  which  they  possess.  '  Every  man,  however  low 
his  station  in  the  present  world,  is  endowed  with  a  spirit- 
ual principle,  which  he  received  by  "  the  inspiration  of 
the  Almighty,"  which  is  superior  to  all  the  mechan- 
ism and  modifications  of  matter,  and  by  which  he  is  allied 
to  beings  of  a  superior  order.  The  faculties  of  conscious- 
ness, perception,  memory,  conception,  imagination,  judg- 
ment, reasoning,  and  moral  feeling,  are  common  to  men  of 
all  castes  and  nations.  The  power  of  recollecting  the  past, 
and  of  anticipating  the  future — of  deducing  conclusions 
from  premises  previously  demonstrated — of  representino- 
to  the  mind  objects  and  scenes  which  have  long  ceased  to 
exist ;  of  forming  in  the  imagination  new  combinations, 
of  the  objects  of  sense  ;  of  perceiving  the  qualities  of 
moral  actions,  and  distinguishing  between  right  and  Vvn-ong ; 
of  recognizing  a  supreme  intelligent  Agent  in  the  move- 
ments of  the  universe  ;  and  of  making  perpetual  advan- 
ces in  knowledge  and  felicity  :  faculties  which  distin- 
guish man  from  all  the  other  tribes  which  people  the 
earth,  air,  or  sea,  are  possessed  by  the  dwarfish  Laplander, 
and  the  untutored  peasant,  as  well  as  by  the  ruler  of  king- 
doms, the  enlightened  statesman,  and  the  man  of  science. 
It  is  true,  indeed,  that  there  is  a  mighty  difference  among 
men,  in  the  direction  of  these  faculties,  in  the  objects  to- 
wards which  they  are  directed,  in  the  cultivation  they 
have  received,  and  in  the  degree  of  perfection  to  which 
they  have  attained.  There  are  innumerable  gradations 
in  the  improvement  and  the  energies  of  intellect,  from  the 


104  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

narrow  range  of  thought  possessed  by  a  Greenlander  or  an 
Esquimaux,  to  the  sublime  and  expansive  views  of  a  Bacon 
or  a  Ncicton.  But,  this  difference  depends  more  on  the 
physical  and  moral  circumstances  in  which  they  are  plac- 
ed, than  on  any  intrinsic  diflerence  in  the  faculties  them- 
selves. Place  the  son  of  a  Boor,  or  of  a  Laplander,  in  cir- 
cumstances favourable  to  the  development  of  his  mental 
powers,  and  afford  him  the  requisite  means  for  directing  and 
increasing  their  activity,  and  he  will  display  powers  of  in- 
telligence, equal  to  those  which  are  found  in  the  highest 
ranks  of  civilized  life.  A  sound  understanding,  a  correct 
judgment,  vigour  of  mind,  control  over  the  irascible  pas- 
sions, and  other  mental  enflowments,  (though  destitute  of 
polish)  will  as  frequently  be  found  in  the  lower  walks  of 
life,  as  in  the  elevated  ranks  of  opulence  and  power. 

The  philosopher,  however,  as  well  as  the  man  of  rank, 
is  apt  to  look  down,  with  a  contemptuous  sneer,  on  the 
narrow  conceptions  of  the  husbandman,  the  mechanic, 
and  the  peasant  ;  and  is  disposed  to  treat  them  as  if  they 
were  an  inferior  species  of  intelligent  beings.  He  does 
not  always  consider,  that  the  profound  and  the  subtle  spec- 
ulations, which  are  dignified  with  the  title  of  2:)hilosophy, 
are  frequently  of  less  importance  to  the  progress  of  tie 
human  mind,  and  to  the  enjoyment  of  substantial  comfort, 
than  the  deductions  of  common  sense,  and  the  dictates  of 
a  sound,  though  plain  understanding ;  that  they  torment 
him  with  feelings,  doubts,  and  perplexities,  which  some- 
times shake  the  whole  fabric  of  his  knowledge,  and  lead 
him  into  labyrinths,  out  of  which  he  can  scarcely  extri- 
cate his  way ;  while  the  man  of  plain  understanding, 
guided  by  a  few  certain  and  important  points  of  truth,  pro- 
secutes the  path  of  virtue  with  safety  and  success.  For, 
it  may  be  considered,  as  an  established  maxim,  that  the 
most  interesting  and  salutary  truths,  connected  with  the 
happiness  of  man,  are  neither  numerous  nor  difficult  to  be 
acquired,  and  are  level  to  the  comprehension  of  men  of 
every  nation,  and  of  every  rank.  But,  however  grovelling 
may  be  the  affections,  and  however  limited,  the  intellec- 
luai  views  of  the  untutored  ranks  of  society ;  thcij  arc  ca- 
pable of  being  trained  to  the  knowledge  and  tlic  practice  of 
every  thing  which  regards  their  present  comfort,  and  their 
future  happiness  ;  and,  to  devise   and  execute   the  means 


EQUALITY  OF  MANKIND.  105 

by  which  this  object  may  be  accomplished,  is  one  way 
among  many  others,  by  which  our  love  to  mankind  should 
be  displayed  and  demonstrated.  We  have  no  reason  to 
complain  of  the  want  of  mental  energy,  or  of  the  ignorance 
and  folly  of  the  lower  orders  of  mankind,  and  to  despise 
them  on  this  account,  while  we  sit  still  in  criminal  apathy, 
and  refuse  to  apply  those  means  which  are  requisite  to 
raise  them  from  their  state  of  moral  and  intellectual  deg- 
radation. 

Thirdly,  Mankind  are  on  an  equality,  in  respect  of  that 
moral  depravity,  with  which  they  are  all  infected.  From 
whatever  cause  it  may  be  conceived  to  have  originated, 
the  fact  is  certain,  that  a  moral  disease  has  spread  itself 
through  all  the  branches  of  the  human  family,  in  what- 
ever station,  or  in  whatever  regions  of  the  globe  they 
may  be  placed.  Whether  we  look  back  on  the  "  genera- 
tions of  old,"  or  survey  the  moral  state  of  the  nations  in 
modern  times  ;  whether  we  turn  our  eyes  to  the  abodes 
of  savage,  or  of  civilized  life  ;  whether  we  contemplate 
the  characters  of  the  higher  orders  of  society,  or  the  prac- 
tices which  abound  among  the  inferior  ranks  of  social 
life  ;  the  stamp  of  depravity,  in  one  shape  or  another,  ap- 
pears impressed  on  the  general  conduct  of  mankind.  In 
the  case  of  nations,  this  depravity  has  manifested  itself  in 
those  wars,  dissensions,  devastations,  and  contentions  for 
territory  and  power,  which  have  in  all  ages  convulsed  the 
human  race,  and  disturbed  the  peace  of  the  world. 
Among  lesser  societies,  families  and  individuals,  it  is  dis- 
played in  the  operation  of  the  principles  of  pride,  ambi- 
tion, tyranny,  persecution,  revenge,  malice,  envy,  false- 
hood, deceit,  covetousness,  anger,  and  other  malignant 
passions  ;  which  have  infested  all  ranks  and  conditions  of 
men.  *  This  depravity  infects  the  higher  ranks  of  man- 
kind equally  with  the  lower,  though,  among  the  former, 
it  is  sometimes  varnished  over  with  a  fairer  exterior  ;  and 
therefore,  there  is  no  rank  or  order  of  men,  that  have 
any  valid  reason,  on  this  ground,  for  despising  their  fel- 
low-creatures, or  withholding  from  them  the  exercise  of 
love  and  affection.  For,  "  thera  is  none  righteous,  no 
not  one  :  for  all  have  sinned  androme  short  of  the  glo- 
ry of  God."  And,  in  this  point  of  view,  love  ought  to 
exercise  its  beneficent  energies,  in  endeavouring  to  couu- 
9* 


I 

106  *  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

teract  the  stream  of  human  corruption,  and  in  dissem- 
inating those  divine  principles  which  are  calculated  to 
raise  mankind  to  the  moral  dignity  of  their  nature. 

Fourthly,  Mankind  possess,  substantially,  the  same  plea- 
sures and  enjoyments.     It  is  a  trite  saying,  but  it  is,  never- 
theless, a    true    and   important  one ;  that   happiness  does 
not  depend  upon  the  rank  and  stations  we  occupy    in  life, 
nor  upon  the    quantity  of  wealth   or   riches   we    possess. 
The   pleasures  which   flow   from  the   movements    of  the 
system  of  nature,    and  from  the  beauties  which    adorn  the 
heavens  and  the  earth,    are    common   and  open  to    all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  globe.     The  rising  sun,  the  smiling  day, 
the  flowery  landscape,  the  purling  streams,  the  lofty  moun- 
tains, the  fertile  vales,  the  verdure    of  the   meadows,    the 
ruddy  hues   of  the   evening   clouds,    the  rainbow  adorned 
with  all  the  colours  of  light,  the  coruscations  of  the    north- 
ern lights,  the  music  of  the  groves,  the  songs  of  the  niglitin- 
gale,  and  the  lark,  the  breath  of  spring,  the  fruits  of  harvest, 
the  azure  sky,  the  blazing  comet,  the  planets  in  their  courses, 
the  moon  walking  in   brightness,  and   the  radiant   host  of 
stars  ;  convey  to  the  mind  thousands  of  delightful    images 
and  sensations,  which  charm  the   cottager,  and  the    me- 
chanic, no  less  than  the  sons  of  opulence  and  fame.     The 
pleasures  of  the  senses,  of  eating  and    drinking,    of  affec- 
tionate friendship,  of  social  and  domestic  intercourse,  of  a 
cheerful    contented  mind,  of  fervent  piety   towards    God. 
and  of  the  hope  of  immortality  beyond  the  grave  ;  may  be 
enjoyed  by  men  of  every  colour,  and  rank,  and  condition 
in  life  ;  by  the  inhabitant  of  the  cottage,  as  well  as  by  the 
potentate  who    sways    his    sceptre  over  kingdoms.     Nor 
does  it  materially  detract    from  these    enjoyments,   in  the 
case  of  the  peasant,  that  his  body  is  frequently  hung  with 
rags,  that  he  subsists  on  the  coarsest  fare,  and  reposes  un- 
der the  thatch  of  a  miserable  hut.     For  hahit  is    the  great 
leveller  of  mankind :  it   reconciles  us  to  immmerable   in- 
conveniences and  privations,  and  blunts  the  edge  of  the 
keenest  pleasures.     The  owner  of  a  princely  mansioi,  fre- 
quently loathes  the   most   delicious    dainties  on  his  table, 
and  walks  through  his  naagnificent  apartments,  surrounded 
with  paintings  and  decdRitions,  with  as  much  apadiy  and 
indifl'erence,  as  if  he    were  in    an  Indian  wigwam,   or  a 
clay-built  cottage.     So  that,   in  the  pleasures  of  sense,  of 


EQUALITY    OF    MANKIND.  107 

afTection  and  sentiment,  there  is  no  essential  distinction 
between  the  high  and  the  low,  the  rich  and  the  poor. 
But,  should  it  be  insinuated,  that  the  poor  and  the  ignoble 
have  fewer  enjoyments  than  the  rich,  then  it  will  follow, 
that,  towards  them,  in  a  particular  manner,  our  benevolent 
affections  ought  to  be  directed,  in  order  that  they  may  en- 
joy a  competent  portion  of  those  physical  and  intellectual 
pleasures,  which  the  Creator  has  provided  for  all  his  crea- 
tures. 

Fifthy,  Men  in  every  condition,  and  in  every  clime, 
have  the  same  wants,  and  are  exposed  to  the  same  disas- 
ters and  afflictions.  Hunger  and  thirst,  cold  and  heat, 
motion  and  rest,  are  common  to  all  orders  and  conditions 
of  men  ;  and  in  order  to  supply  and  alleviate  such  wants, 
the  aid  of  our  fellow  men  is  indispensably  requisite,  to  en- 
able us  to  obtain  food,  raiment,  light,  warmth,  comforta- 
ble accommodation,  and  shelter  from  the  blasts  of  the 
tempest.  We  all  stand  in  need  of  comfort  and  advice  in 
the  hour  of  difficulty  and  danger  ;  we  all  long  for  the  love, 
and  friendship,  and  good  offices  of  those  around  us  ;  and 
we  all  thirst  for  an  increase  of  knowledge,  happiness,  and 
joy.  And  those  wants  and  desires  can  be  supplied  and 
gratified  only  by  the  kindly  intercourse  and  affection  of 
kindred  spirits. 

All  are  exposed*  to  the  same  sorrows  and  afflictions. 
Disappointments,  anxiety,  disgrace,  accidents,  pain,  sick- 
ness, disease,  loss  of  health,  fortune,  and  honour,  bereave- 
ment of  children,  friends,  and  relatives,  are  equally  the 
lot  of  the  prince  and  the  peasant.  The  prince  in  tiie 
cradle  is  a  being  as  weak  and  feeble,  as  dependent  on 
his  nurse,  has  as  many  wants  to  be  su})plied,  is  liable 
to  as  many  diseases  and  accidents,  and  requires  as  many 
exertions  to  learn  to  lisp,  to  speak,  and  to  walk,  as  the 
newborn  babe  of  his  meanest  subject.  Nay,  the  rich 
and  the  powerful  are  frequently  exposed  to  miseries  and 
vexations,  from  fancied  insults,  affronts  and  provocation?, 
from  frustrated  hopes,  from  pride,  vanity  and  ill-hu- 
jnour,  from  abortive  projects  and  disconcerted  plans,  to 
which  the  poor  are  generally  strangers.  If  we  enter  into 
one  of  the  abodes  of  poverty,  where  one  of  the  victin;ss 
of  disease  is  reclining,  we  may  behold  a  poor  emaciat- 
ed  mortal,  with  haggard  looks  and  a  heaving  breast,  re- 


108  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

posing  on  a  pillow  of  straw,  surrounded  by  ragged  children, 
and  an  affectionate  wife,  all  eager  to  soothe  his  sorrows 
and  alleviate  his  distress.  If  we  pass  through  a  crowd  of 
domestics  and  courtly  attendants,  into  the  mansion  of  opu- 
lence, where  disease,  or  the  harbinger  of  death  has  seiz- 
ed one  of  its  victims,  we  may  also  behold  a  wretch, 
pale,  blotched  and  distorted,  agonizing  under  the  pain  of 
the  asthma,  the  gravel,  or  the  gout,  and  trembling  under 
the  apprehensions  of  the  solemnity  of  a  future  judg- 
ment, without  one  sincere  friend  to  afford  him  a  drop  of 
consolation.  Neither  the  splendour  of  his  apartment,  nor 
the  costly  crimson  with  which  his  couch  is  hung,  nor  the 
attentions  of  his  physicians,  nor  the  number  of  his  attend- 
ants, can  prevent  the  bitter  taste  of  nauseous  medicines, 
the  intolerable  pains,  the  misgivings  of  heart,  and  the  pangs 
of  conscience  which  he  feels  in  common  with  the  meanest 
wretch  who  is  expiring  on  a  dunghill. 

Lastly,  All  ranks  come  to  the  same  termination  of  their 
mortal  existence.  "  Dust  thou  art,  and  unto  dust  thou 
shalt  return,"  is  a  decree  which  has  gone  forth  against  ev- 
ery inhabitant  of  our  globe,  of  whatever  kindred,  rank  or 
nation.  The  tombs  of  mighty  princes,  of  intrepid  generals, 
of  illustrious  statesmen,  may  be  adorned  with  lofty  columns, 
with  sculptured  marble  and  flattering  inscriptions,  but 
within  these  varnished  monuments,  their  bodies  present 
putrid  carcasses,  as  loathsome,  and  as  much  the  prey  of 
worms  and  corruption,  as  the  corpse  of  their  meanest  vassal. 
Their  eyes  are  equally  impenetrable  to  the  light  of  day, 
their  ears  are  equally  deaf  to  the  charms  of  music, 
and  their  tongues  are  equally  silent  in  this  land  of  deep 
forgetfulness.  This  consideration,  of  itself,  fully  demon- 
strates, if  any  demonstration  be  necessary,  the  natural 
equality  of  mankind,  and  that  there  is  no  essential  differ- 
ence between  the  noble  and  the  ignoble,  the  emperor  and 
the  slave.  And  since  mankind  are  all  equally  liable  to 
afflictions  and  distresses,  and  are  all  journeying  to  the 
tomb,  nothing  can  be  more  reasonable  than  the  exercise  ol" 
love,  with  all  its  kindred  affections,  towards  every  class  of 
our  fellow-men,  in  order  to  alleviate  their  soriows,  and 
to  cheer  them  on  their  passage  through  this  region  of  mor- 
tality. 

Thus  it  appears,  that  there  is  a  natural  equality  subsist- 


EQUALiTY    OF    MANKIND.  109 

ing  among  mankind,  in  respect  of  their  origin,  their  corpo- 
real organization,  their  intellectual  powers,  their  moral  de- 
pravity, their  wants,  their  afflictions,  their  pleasures  and 
enjoyments,  and  tlie  state  to  which  they  are  reduced 
after  they  have  finished  the  career  of  their  mortal  exist- 
ence. The  illustration  of  such  circumstances  would  be 
quite  unnecessary,  were  it  not  that  a  certain  proportion 
of  mankind,  under  the  influence  of  pride  and  other 
malignant  passions,  are  still  disposed  to  look  down  on  cer- 
tain classes  of  their  fellow-mortals  as  if  they  were  a  species 
of  beings  of  an  inferior  order  in  the  scale  of  existence. 
To  the  propriety  of  the  sentiments  now  stated,  the  sacred 
Scriptures  bear  ample  testimony.  "  The  rich  and  the 
poor  meet  together ;  the  Lord  is  the  maker  of  them  all."* 
"  Did  not  he  that  made  me  in  the  womb,  make  my  ser- 
vant and  did  he  not  fashion  us  alike  ?"t  "  God  hath 
made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men  for  to  dwell  on  all 
the  face  of  the  earth,  and  hath  determined  the  times 
before  appointed,  and  the  bounds  of  their  habitation. "| 

Since,  therefore,  it  appears,  that  mankind  are  equal  in 
every  thing  that  is  essential  to  the  human  character,  this 
equality  lays  a  broad  foundation  for  the  exercise  of  uni- 
versal love  towards  men  of  all  nations,  tribes,  conditions 
and  ranks.  It  must,  obviously,  appear  contrary  to  every 
principle  of  reason,  repugnant  to  every  amiable  feeling, 
and  inconsistent  with  the  general  happiness  of  the  spe- 
cies, that  intelligent  beings,  who  are  all  children  of  the 
same  Almighty  Parent,  members  of  the  same  great  family, 
and  linked  together  by  so  many  fraternal  ties,  should 
"  bite  and  devour  one  another,"  engage  in  hostile  enter- 
prizes  against  each  other,  look  down  with  scorn  and  con- 
tea"jpt  on  each  other,  or  even  behold  with  indifference  the 
condition  of  the  meanest  member  of  the  family  to  which 
they  belong.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  consistent  with 
the  dictates  of  enlightened  reason,  congenial  to  the  best 
feelings  of  human  nature,  and  indispensably  requisite  to 
the  promotion  of  universal  happiness,  that  such  beings 
should  be  united  in  the  bonds  of  affection  and  harmony, 
that   they  should  sympathize  with  the  distressed,  delight 


*  Prov.  xxii,  2.         f  Job.  xxxi.  15.         \  Acts,  xvii.  26. 


110  THE    PHILOSOFIIY    OF    RELIGION. 

in  beholding  the  happiness  of  all,  "  rejoice  wilh  them 
that  do  rejoice,  and  weep  with  them  that  weep ;" — that 
every  one,  whether  he  be  near  or  far  off,  whether  he  be 
rich  or  poor,  whether  he  be  learned  or  unlearned,  whe- 
ther he  belong  to  this  or  the  other  civil  or  religious  so- 
ciety,  whether  his  colour  be  black  or  white,  whether  he 
be  blind,  or  deaf,  or  lame,  whether  he  be  an  inhabitant 
of  Greenland,  Iceland,  Barbary,  Germany,  France  or 
Spain,  whatever  may  be  his  language,  manners  or  cus- 
toms, should  be  recognized,  wherever  he  may  be  fomid, 
as  a  friend  and  brother ;  and  a  cordial  interest  felt  in  eve- 
ery  thing  that  concerns  his  welfare  and  comfort.  Such  a 
recognition  of  man  as  man,  is  a  duty  which  necessarily 
flows  from  the  natural  equality  of  mankind,  and  is  con- 
genial to  the  conduct  of  the  Universal  Parent  towards 
all  his  human  offspring.  For,  in  his  love  to  his  numerous 
family,  and  without  respect  of  persons,  he  makes  the 
same  vital  air  to  give  play  to  their  lungs,  the  same  sun  to 
cheer  and  enlighten  them,  and  the  same  rains  and  dews 
to  refresh  their  fields,  and  to  ripen  the  fruits  of  harvest. 

Let  it  not,  however,  be  inferred,  from  w'hat  has  been 
now  stated,  that  we  mean  to  sap  the  foundations  of  that 
subordination  of  ranks  which  exists  in  this  world.  This 
gradation  in  society  is  the  appointment  of  God,  and  neces- 
sarily flows  from  the  circumstances  and  relations  in  which 
man  is  placed  in  this  first  stage  of  his  existence ;  and, 
were  it  completely  overthrown,  society  would  be  plunged 
into  a  scene  of  anarchy  and  confusion  ;  and  the  greater 
part  of  the  individuals  which  compose  it,  would  become 
a  lawless  banditti.  Whether  or  not  there  exists  a  subor- 
dination of  ofiice  and  rank  among  superior  intelligences  of 
the  same  species,  or  among  the  inhabitants  of  other 
globes,  we  are  unable  at  present  to  determine  ;  but  in  the 
actual  condition  of  society  in  the  world  in  which  m'C 
dwell,  a  state  of  complete  independence,  and  a  perfect 
equality  of  wealth,  station,  and  rank,  are  impossible,  so 
long  as  there  exists  a  diversity  in  the  capacities,  tempers, 
and  pursuits  of  men.  On  the  diversity  of  rank,  and  the 
relations,  which  subsist  betv/een  the  different  classes  of  so- 
ciety, as  parents  and  children,  masters  and  servants, 
princes  and  subjects,  is  founded  a  great  proportion  of 
those   moral  laws  v/hich   God   hath  promulgated  in  his 


EQUALITY    OF   MANKIND.  Ill 

word,  for  regulating   the  inclinations    and  the  conduct   of 
mankind. 

Diversity  of  fortune  and  station  appeajs  absolutely  in- 
evitable in  a  world  where  moral  evil  exists,  and  where  its 
inhabitants  are  exposed  to  dangers,  difficulties,  and  dis- 
tress. Whether  the  inhabitants  of  a  world,  where  moral 
perfection  reigns  triumphant,  can  exist  in  a  state  of  per- 
fect felicity,  and  move  forward  in  progressive  improve- 
ment, without  a  subordination  of  rank,  it  is  not  for  us  to 
determine.  But  in  such  a  world  as  ours,  it  is  a  wise  and 
gracious  appointment  of  the  Creator,  and  is  attended  with 
many  and  important  advantages.  Were  there  no  diver- 
sity of  wealth  and  station,  we  should  be  deprived  of  many 
of  the  comforts,  conveniences,  and  assistances  which  we 
now  enjoy.  Every  one  would  be  obliged  to  provide  for 
himself  food,  drink,  clothing,  furniture,  shelter,  medicines, 
and  recreations  ;  and  in  the  season  of  sickness,  danger, 
and  distress,  he  would  have  few  or  none  to  alleviate  his 
affliction,  and  contribute  to  his  comfort.  But,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  diversity  which  now  exists,  an  opportunity 
is  afforded  of  employing  the  several  capacities  and  endow- 
ments of  mankind  in  those  lines  of  active  exertion,  for 
which  they  are  respectively  fitted,  and  of  rendering  them 
subservient  for  the  improvement  and  happiness  of  general 
society.  One  exercises  the  trade  of  a  weaver,  another 
that  of  a  baker  ;  one  is  a  shoemaker,  another  a  tailor ; 
one  is  an  architect,  another  a  farmer ;  one  is  a  teacher 
of  science  or  religion  ;  others  have  their  minds  entertain- 
ed and  improved  by  his  instructions.  One  is  appoint- 
ed a  ruler  over  a  city,  another  over  a  kingdom  ;  one  is  em- 
ployed in  writing  for  the  amusement  and  instruction  of 
mankind,  another  is  employed  in  printing  and  publishing 
his  writings.  By  this  arrangement,  the  powers  and  capa- 
cities in  Vv^hich  individuals  excel,  are  gradually  carried  to 
the  highest  degree  of  attainable  perfection ;  and  the  ex- 
ertions of  a  single  individual  are  rendered  subservient  to 
the  ease,  the  convenience,  and  the  mental  improvement 
of  thousands. 

It  is  not  to  the  diversity  of  rank  and  station,  that  the  evils 
which  exist  among  the  various  classes  of  society  are  to 
be  attributed  ;  but  to  the  influence  of  a  spirit  of  pride,  on 
the  one  hand,  and  a  spirit  of  insubordination,  on  the  other 


112  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF  RELIGION. 

— to  the  want  of  a  disposition  to  discharge  the  duties  pe- 
culiar to  each  station,  and  to  the  deficiency  of  those  kind- 
ly affections  which  ought  to  be  manifested  towards  every 
human  being,  by  men  in  all  the  ranks  and  departments  of 
life.  If  love,  in  all  its  benevolent  ramifications,  were  to 
pervade  the  various  ranks  of  social  life,  kings  would  never 
oppress  their  subjects,  nor  masters  act  unjustly  towards 
their  servants  ;  nor  would  subjects  and  servants  refuse  to 
submit  to  just  laws,  and  equitable  regulations.  All  would 
act  their  parts  with  harmony  and  delight  in  this  great  mo- 
ral machine,  and  every  station  and  rank  would  contribute, 
ia  its  sphere,  to  the  prosperity  and  happiness  of  another. 
For  the  poor  cannot  do  without  the  rich,  nor  the  rich  with- 
out the  poor ;  the  prince  without  his  subjects,  nor  subjects 
without  wise  and  enlightened  rulers,  and  equitable  laws. 
All  are  linked  together  by  innumerable  ties  ;  and  the  re- 
cognition of  these  ties,  and  the  practice  of  the  reciprocal 
duties  which  arise  out  of  them,  form  the  source  of  indivi- 
dual happiness,  and  the  bonds  of  social  enjoyment. 


SECTION  II. 

The  connections  and  relations  which  subsist  among  mankind 
considered  as  establishing  the  basis  of  Love  to  our  neighbour. 

The  relations  which  subsist  among  mankind,  lay  a 
foundation  for  the  exercise  of  the  benevolent  afleclions, 
and  for  the  various  duties  of  social  life ;  and  these  rela- 
tions are  far  more  numerous  and  extensive  than  the  gener- 
ality of  mankind  are  disposed  to  admit.  The  relations  of 
parents  and  children,  of  husbands  and  wives,  of  brethren 
and  sisters,  of  masters  and  servants,  of  rulers  and  subjects, 
of  teachers  and  scholars,  of  buyers  and  sellers,  &c.  are 
recognized  by  all  as  involving  an  obligation  to  the  exer- 
cise of  certain  corresponding  duties  and  aflections.  The 
moment  we  contemplate  the  relation  of  a  parent  and  a 
child,  we  at  once  perceive  the  obligation  of  love  on  th« 
part  of  the  parent,  and  of  reverence  and  obedience  on  the 
part  of  the  child ;  and,  in  every  other  relation,  a  corres- 
ponding duty  is  involved,  resulting  from  the  nature  of  that 


RELATIONS  OF  MANKIND.  113 

relation,  and  founded  on  the  principle  of  love.  But  as 
these  relations,  and  their  corresponding  duties  and  affec- 
tions have  been  frequently  illustrated,  I  shall  advert  to  a 
variety  of  circumstances,  generally  overlooked,  which  de- 
monstrate the  universal  connection  of  human  beings  with 
each  other,  and  the  reasonableness  of  the  exercise  of  love 
towards  all  mankind. 

Wherever  we  turn  our  eyes  towards  the  great  family  of 
mankind — whether  we  look  around  on  the  land  of  our  na- 
tivity, or  to  distant  continents,  and  the  oceans  which  sur- 
round them,  we  behold  thousands  of  human  beings  toiling 
for  our  ease,  our  convenience,  our  pleasure,   and  improve- 
ment.    Here,  we  behold  the  ploughman  turning  up  the  fur- 
rows of  the  soil,  and  the  sower  casting  in  the  seed  which 
is  to  produce  the  fruits  of  harvest:  there,  we  behold  the  reap- 
er cutting  down  the  corn  which  is  to  serve  for  our  nourish- 
ment.    On  the  one  hand,  we  behold  the  cow-herd  tending 
his  cattle,  which  are  to  afford  us  milk,  butter,  and  cheese  ; 
on  the  other,  we  behold  the  shepherd  tending  his  flocks, 
whose  wool  is  to  provide  us  with  warm  and  comfortable 
clothing.     One  is  preparmg  leather  from  the  hides  of  oxen, 
another  is  shaping  it  into  shoes  and  boots.     One  is  spin- 
ning flax  and  cotton  into  yam,  another  is  weaving  it  into 
linen  and  muslin,  to  cover  and  adorn  us.     One  is  dressing 
the  vine,  whose  juice  is  to  cheer   and  refresh  us  ;  another 
is  treading  the  wine-press,    and  preparing  the  wine  for  our 
use.     Here,  we  behold  the  blacksmith  toiling  and  sweat- 
ing at  the  anvil,  preparing  tongs,  and  shovels,  and  grates, 
for  our  apartments ;  there,  we  behold  the  cai-penter,  with 
his  hammer,  and  plane,  and  saw,  fitting  up  beds,  and  ta- 
bles, and  chairs,  for  our  ease  and  accommodation.     Here, 
one  is  preparing  our  food,  and  another  our  clothing ;  there, 
one  is  preparing  our  drink,  and  another  our  medicines.    In 
one  chamber,    the  student  of  nature   and  of  science  is  pre- 
paring,  at  the  midnight  lamp,  those  compositions  w^hich 
are  to  convey  entertainment   and  instruction  to  the  minds 
of  the  public  ;  in  another,  the  herald  of  salvation  is  medi- 
tating on  those  divine  subjects,  which  he  is  about  to  pro- 
claim for  the  illumination  and  comfort  of  assembled  multi- 
tudes.    In  short,  to  whatever  department  of  human  socie- 
ty we  direct  our  attention,  and  to  whatever  quarter  we  turn 
our  eves,  in  the  busy  soene  around  us,  we  behold  thousands 
10 


114  THE  PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

of  our  fellow-men  exerting  their  corporeal  and  intellectual 
powers  HI  those  employments  which  will  ultimately  contri- 
bute either  to  our  ease,  our  entertainment,  our  security,  our 
accommodation,  our  subsistence,  or  our  moial  and  intellec- 
tual improvement. 

But,  our  connections  with  human  beings  are  not  confined 
to  our  immediate  neighbourhood,  nor  even  to  the  nation  in 
which  we  reside.  Theie  is  scarcely  a  region  of  the  globe 
towards  which  we  can  direct  our  view,  in  which  we  do  not 
behold  innumerable  links  which  connect  us  with  the  great 
family  of  mankind.  Let  us  turn  our  eyes  to  the  West-In- 
dia islands,  and  we  shall  behold  the  poor  African  slave  toil- 
ing under  the  scorching  heat  of  a  tropical  sun,  and  smartirig 
under  the  cruel  lash  of  an  unfeeling  overseer,  in  order  to  pro- 
vide for  us  sugar,  molasses  and  rice  to  mingle  with  our  dain- 
ties, and  to  regale  our  appetites.  If  we  diiect  our  view  to 
the  empire  of  China,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  globe  ; 
twelve  thousand  miles  distant  from  the  former  region  ;  we 
shall  behold  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  our  breth- 
ren of  the  human  family  busily  employed  in  planting  the 
tea  tree,  in  plucking  its  leaves,  in  exposing  them  to  the 
steam  of  boiling  water,  in  spreading  them  out  to  dry,  in  as- 
sorting them  into  diiferent  parcels,  in  packing  and  shipping 
them  oft'  for  distant  shores,  that  we,  at  the  distance  of  nine 
thousand  miles,  may  enjoy  a  delicious  beverage  for  our 
morning  and  evening  meals.*  If  we  turn  our  eyes  on  India 
and  Persia,  we  shall  find  multitudes  of  men,  women  and 
children  assiduously  employed  in  cultivating  the  mul- 
berry plant,  in  hatching  and  rearing  silk-worms,  in  wind- 
ing and  twisting  the  delicate  threads  which  proceed  from 
these  insects,  and  preparing  them  for  the  loom,  in  order 
that  our  ladies  may  be  adorned  with  this  finest  production 
of  nature  and  art.     Let  us  pass  in  imagination  to  the  froz- 


♦  For  a  portion  of  this  beverage  we  are  indebted  even  to  some  of  the 
monkey  tribe.  As  the  tea  shrub  often  g^rows  on  theruorscd  banks  of 
steep  mountains,  access  to  which  is  dangerous,  and  sometimes  imprac- 
ticable, the  Chinese,  in  order  to  come  at  the  leaves,  make  use  of  a 
singular  stratagem.  These  steep  places  are  generally  frequented  by 
great  numbers  of  monkeys,  which,  being  irritated  and  provoked,  to 
avenge  themselves,  tear  ofl'the  branches,  and  shower  them  down  up- 
on those  who  have  insulted  them.  The  Chinese  immediately  collect 
these  liranches  and  strip  off  their  leaves.—Enci/.  Brit.  Jirt.  Tea. 


RELATIONS    OF    MANKIND.  116 

en  regions  of  Siberia  and  Kamtschatkn,  to  the  inhospitable 
shores  of  Onalaska  and  the  Aleutian  isles,  and  we  shall 
behold  numbers  of  weather-beaten  wretches  exposed  to 
innumerable  dangers  by  sea  and  land,  traversing  snowy 
mountains,  forests,  marshes,  and  deserts,  suffering  frequent 
shipwrecks  on  the  coasts  of  unknown  islands  inhabited  by 
savage  tribes,  and  exposed,  night  and  day,  to  the  chilling 
frosts  of  the  polar  regions,  and  the  attacks  of  ravenous 
wolves,  in  order  to  collect  the  skins  of  otters,  and  furs  of 
various  descriptions,  to  adorn  the  dress  of  our  female 
friends,  and  to  shelter  them  from  the  winter's  cold.  Let 
us  pass  to  the  forests  of  Norway,  Sweden,  Canada  and  Ja- 
maica, and  hundreds  of  hardy  weather-beaten  peasants, 
exposed  to  many  accidents  and  privations,  will  be  seen 
cutting  down  the  tall  firs,  larches  and  mahogany,  sawing 
them  into  planks  and  logs,  and  conveying  them  in  floats 
along  rapid  rivers  towards  the  sea,  to  be  shipped  for  our 
country,  for  the  purpose  of  being  formed  into  floors  and 
roofs  for  our  buildings,  and  into  elegant  furniture  to  deco- 
rate our  apartments. 

Not  only  in  distant  islands  and  continents,  but  even  in 
the  midst  of  the  vast  ocean,  multitudes  of  our  brethren  are 
toiling  for  our  pleasure,  convenience  and  comfort.  See 
yonder  vessel  in  the  Southern  Atlantic  ocean,  which  has 
just  weathered  the  storms  on  the  Southern  cape  of  Africa, 
and  narrowly  escaped  the  dangers  of  shipwreck  on  a  rocky 
shore.  For  several  weeks,  the  hardy  mariners  have  been 
beating  against  the  wind  in  the  midst  of  thunders,  lightnings, 
and  tempests,  with  mountainous  waves  continually  breaking 
over  them,  darkness  surrounding  them  for  many  sleepless 
nights,  and  the  dread  of  impending  destruction  filling  them 
with  trembling  and  horror.  And  why  have  they  been  exposed 
to  danger  so  dreadful  and  appalling?  That  they  might  convey 
to  our  shores,  from  China  and  Hindostan,  stores  of  tea,  cof- 
fee, sugar,  porcelain,  silks,  carpels,  and  precious  stones,  to 
supply  luxuries  to  our  tables,  and  ornaments  to  our  dress. 
See  yonder  vessel  too,  which  is  tossing  in  the  midst  of  th«; 
Northern  ocean,  passing  between  shoals  and  icebergs,  and 
liable  every  moment  to  be  crushed  to  pieces  between 
mountains  of  ice.  Her  mariners  have  long  been  exposed 
to  the  rigours  of  an  arctic  sky,  and  have  narrowly  escaped 
being  plunged  into  the  deep  by  the  stroke  of  an  enorraoui< 


116  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

whale,  in  order  that  we  might  be  suppUed  with  seal-skins, 
whale-bone,  and  oil  for  our  lamps. 

Even  in  the  bowels  of  the  ocean  thousands  of  poor 
wretches,  on  the  coast  of  California,  Ceylon,  Persia,  and 
China,  are  diving  amidst  its  waves,  remaining  whole  half 
hours,  at  sixty  feet  below  the  surface  of  its  waters,  expos- 
ed to  the  danger  of  being  devoured  by  sharks  and  other 
monsters  of  the  deep,  in  order  to  collect  pearls  for  orna- 
ments to  the  ladies  of  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  and  America. 
— In  short,  wherever  we  turn  our  eyes  on  the  surface  of 
the  mighty  deep,  we  contemplate  a  busy  scene  of  human 
beings  ploughing  the  ocean  in  every  direction,  and  toiling, 
in  the  midst  of  dangers,  storms,  and  tempests,  in  order 
to  promote  the  accommodation  of  their  fellows-mortals,  who 
dwell  on  opposite  regions  of  the  globe.  On  the  one  hand, 
we  behold  thousands  of  hardy  Russians,  Swedes,  and  Nor- 
wegians, steering  their  vessels  along  the  Baltic  and  the 
German  sea,  to  convey  to  om*  shores  copper,  timber, 
pitch,  skins,  hemp,  and  tallow ;  on  the  other,  we  behold 
the  Americans  ploughing  the  waves  of  the  Atlantic,  with 
stores  of  mahogany,  sugar,  rice,  flour,  tobacco,  rum,  and 
brandy.  Along  the  vast  Pacific  ocean,  the  Spanish  gal- 
leons are  conveying  to  Europe,  gold,  silver,  pearls,  precious 
stones,  and  all  the  other  riches  of  Peru.  Even  from  the 
southern  icy  ocean,  where  Nature  appears  bound  in  the 
fetters  of  eternal  ice,  the  adventurous  mariner  is  conveying 
to  our  shores  furs  of  various  kinds,  with  the  products  of 
seals  and  whales.  And,  in  return  for  the  supply  we  re- 
ceive from  foreign  regions,  our  British  sailors  are  travers- 
ing every  sea  and  ocean,  and  distributing  to  the  inhabitants 
of  every  clime,  the  productions  of  our  arts,  sciences,  and 
manufactures. 

Even  m  the  subterraneous  apartments  of  the  globe,  as 
well  as  upon  its  surface,  many  thousands  of  human  be- 
ings are  labouring,  in  confined  and  gloomy  regions,  to 
promote  our  comforts  and  enjoyments.  The  copper 
mines  in  Sweden  are  situated  at  more  than  a  thousand  feet 
below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  contain  a  vast  num- 
ber of  subterraneous  apartments,  branching  in  all  direc- 
tions. In  these  dreary  abodes,  twelve  hundred  wretched 
beings  are  doomed  to  pass  their  existence,  deprived  of  the 
cheerful  light  of  day — toiling,  almost  naked,  in  the  midst  ol 


RELATIONS    OF    MANKIND.  117 

hot  and  sulphureous  vapours,  and  under  severe  taskmasters, 
in  order  that  we  may  be  supplied  with  the  best  species  of 
copper,  for  forming  our  kettles,  cauldrons,  and  copper- 
plate engravings.  'J'he  salt  mines  of  Hungary  and  Poland, 
the  gold  and  silver  mines  of  Potosi  and  Peru,  and  hundreds 
of  similar  subterraneous  mansions,  in  various  parts  of 
the  earth,  present  to  our  view  numerous  groupes  of  our  fel- 
low-men, all  engaged  in  similar  toils  and  labours,  in  order 
that  we  may  enjoy  the  riches,  the  elegancies,  and  the 
conveniences  of  life.  In  our  own  country,  how  many 
thousands  of  our  brethren  are  labouring  in  the  dark  re- 
cesses of  the  earth,  far  beneath  its  surface,  exposed  to 
the  suffocation  of  the  choke-damp  and  the  explosions  of  the 
fire-damp^  in  procuring  for  us  that  invaluable  fossil,  which 
warms  and  cheers  our  winter  apartments,  which  cooks  our 
victuals,  and  enables  us  to  carry  on  the  various  processes 
of  our  arts  and  manufactories  ! 

Thus  it  appears,  that  we  are  connected  with  our  fellow- 
men,  in  every  quarter  of  the  world,  by   thousands  of  ties  ; 
- — that  millions   of  human  beings,  whom  we   have  never 
seen,  nor  ever  will  see  on  this  side  the  grave,  are  labour- 
ing to   promote  our  interests,    without  whose    exertions 
we  should   be  deprived  of  the  greatest   proportion  of  our 
accommodations   and  enjoyments.     While    we   are  sitting 
in  our  comfortable  apartments  feasting  on  the  bounties  of 
Providence,  thousands,  and  ten  thousands  of  our  brethren 
of  mankind,  in  different  regions  of  the  globe,  are    assidu- 
ously labouring  to  procure  for  us  supplies  for  some  future 
entertainment.      One  is  sowing  the   seed,    another  gath- 
ering   in    the    fruits  of    harvest ;  one  is   providing  fuel, 
and  another  furs  and  flannel,  to  guard    us  from  the  win- 
ter's cold  ;  one  is  conveying  home  the  luxuries  and  neces- 
saries   of    life,  another  is   bringing  intelligence  from   our 
friends  in  distant  lands ;  one  is   carrying  grain  to  the  mill, 
another  is  grinding  it  and   another  is  conveying  it    along 
the  road  to  our  habitations  ;  one  is  in  search  of  medicines 
to  assuage  our  pains,  and  another  is  in  search  of  consolation 
to  soothe  our  wounded  spirits.     In  the  midst  of  these  ne- 
ver-ceasing  exertions,  some  are  crossing  deep  and  dan- 
gerous rivers  ;  some  are  traversing  a  vast  howling   wilder- 
ness ;    some  are   wandering  amidst   swampy  moors,  and 
trackless  heaths  ;  some  are  parched  with  thirst  in  sandy  d©- 
10* 


118  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

scrts  ;  some  are  sliivering  and  benumbed  amidst  the  blaste 
of  winter ;  some  are  toiling  along  steep  and  dangerous 
roads,  and  others  are  tossing  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean, 
buffeted  by  the  winds  and  raging  billows. 

And  since  we  are  connected  with  our  fellow-creatures 
by  so  many  links,  is  it  not  reasonable,  is  it  not  congenial 
to  the  nature  of  man,  that  we  should  be  connected  with 
them  by  the  ties  of  sympathy  and  benevolent  affections  ? 
It  is  true,  indeed,  that  the  various  classes  of  mankind  in 
every  country,  who  are  toiling  for  our  ease  and  gratifica- 
tion, seldom  or  never  think  of  us  in  the  midst  of  their  dif- 
ficulties and  labours.  Perhaps  they  have  no  other  end  in 
view  than  to  earn  their  daily  subsistence,  and  provide 
food  and  clothing  for  their  families  ;  perhaps  they  are  ac- 
tuated by  the  most  selfish  motives,  and  by  principles  of 
vanity  and  avarice  ;  and  some  of  them,  perhaps,  under  the 
influence  of  that  depravity  which  is  common  to  the  spe- 
cies, may  be  secretly  cursing  and  reproaching  us  as  indi- 
viduals, or  as  a  nation.  But,  from  whatever  motives  their 
labours  and  exertions  proceed,  it  is  a  fact  which  cannot  be 
denied,  and  which  they  cannot  prevent,  that  we  actually 
enjoy  the  benefit  of  them;  and,  that,  without  them,  we 
should  be  deprived  of  the  greater  part  of  those  comforts 
and  enjoyments  vi^hich  render  existence  desirable,  and 
which  cheer  us  in  our  pilgrimage  to  the  grave. 

We  have,  therefore,    in    almost    every    artificial   object 
that  surrounds  us,  and   in   every   enjoyment   we    possess, 
from  day  to  day,  so  many  sensible    emblems  of  our    con- 
nection with  every   branch  of  the  great   family  of  man- 
kind.    When  v/e  sit  down  to  a  dish  of  tea,  we  are  remind- 
ed of  the  crowded  and  busy  population  of  China,    where 
this   plant  is   produced,    and    of  the  poor  African    slave, 
through  whose  sorrows  and  toils  the  sugar  we  mix  with   it 
is  prepared.     And  shall   we   not  feel  a   kindly  affection 
for  those  whose  labours  procure  us  such  a  refreshing  bev- 
erage ?  And  should  not  our  love  prompt  us  to  every  active 
exertion  by  which  their  miseries  may  be  alleviated,  and 
their    intellectual  and    religious  improvement   promoted  ? 
When  we  look  at  the  pearls  which  adorn  us,  we   are  re- 
minded of  the  poor  wretch  who  has  plunged  to  the   bot- 
tom of  the  deep,   and  scrambled  among  projecting  rocks, 
M)  the  danger  of   his    life,    in  order    to    procure  thera. 


RELATIONS    OF    MANKIND.  119 

When    we  look    at    a  copper-plate    engraving,     we    are 
reminded   of  the    dark    and     cheerless     recesses   of  the 
copper    mines,    where   hundreds  are    employed  in  dif^ging 
for  this  useful  metal.     When  we    enjoy   the  comfort  of 
a   cheerful   fire,  we   are  reminded   of  the    gloomy  sub- 
terraneous  regions,    to  which    so  many   of  our   country- 
men are    confined,  and  the    toils   and    dangers  to  which 
they  are  exposed,  before  our  coals  can  be  dragged  from  the 
bowels   of  the   earth.     And  while  we  feel  delighted  with 
the  diversified  enjoyment  vv'hich  flows  from  the  labour  and 
industry  of  every  class  of  mankind,  is  it   reasonable  that 
we  should  look  with  indiflerence  on  any  one  of  them  ?  Is 
it  not  accordant  with  the  dictates  of  enlightened  reason, 
and  with  every  thing  that  we   consider  ■  as  amiable   in  the 
nature  of  man,  that  we  should  embrace   them   all  in  the 
arms  of  kindness  and  brotherly  affection,  and  that  our  ac- 
tive powers,  so  far  as  our  influence  extends,  should  be  em- 
ployed in  endeavouring  to  promote  their  present  and  ever- 
lasiing   happiness  ?  At  present,   they  seldom  think  about 
the  benefits  they  are  procuring  for  us  and  others  by  their 
useful  labours  ;  but  were   their  circumstances  meliorated, 
were  their  miseries  relieved,  were  their  minds  expanded 
by  instruction,  were    their  moral  powers  cultivated  and  im- 
proved, were  they  to   behold  the    various    branches  of  the 
human  family  for  whom  they  are  labouring,  exerting  every 
nerve  to   promote    their   moral  improvement  and   domes- 
tic enjoyment,  it  would  produce  many  pleasing  emotions  in 
their  breasts,  in  the  midst  of  all  their  toilsome  labours,  to 
reflect,  that  their  exertions   are   the   means   of  distributing 
numerous  comforts   and   conveniences    among  men  of  dif^ 
ferent   nations,    ranks,    kindreds   and  languages.       Their 
minds  would  take  a  more   extensive  range    among  the  va- 
rious tribes  of  mankind  with   which    they  are    connected, 
as  intelligences  of  the  same  species  ;  they   would  learn  to 
trace  the  remotest  consequences  of  every  branch  of  labour, 
and  of  every  mechanical  operation   in  wdiich   they  are  en- 
gaged, and  they    would  thus   feel   themselves   more  inti- 
mately related   to  every  individual  of  the  great   family  to 
which  they  belong. 

That  it  is  the  intention  of  the  Creator  that  an  extensive 
and  affectionate  intercourse  should  be  carried  on  between 
the  remotest   tribes   of  mankind,  appears  even  from  the 


180  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF     RELIGION. 

physical  constitution  and  arrangement  of  our  globe.     Ths 
surface  of  the  earth  is  every  where  indented   with  rivers 
of  various  dimensions,  winding  in  every  direction  through 
the  continents  and  the  larger  islands,  and    some  of  them 
running  a  course  of  several    thousands  of  milcf^.     In  the 
eastern  continent    above   four  hundred  rivers   of  large  di- 
mensions are  rolling  from  the  mountains  towards  the   sea  ; 
and  in  the  western  continent,  more  than  one  hundred  and 
forty   mjijestic  streams   are  to  be  found,    connecting    the 
highest  and  remotest  parts  of  the  land  with  the  ocean,   he- 
sides  thousands  of  streams   of  smaller   dimensions.     The 
water  of  the  sea  is  formed  of  such  a  consistency,   or  epe- 
cific  gravity,  that  it  is  capable  of  supporting  large  fioatinj^ 
edifices ;  while,  at  the  same  time,  its   parts   are  so  yield- 
ing as  (o  permit  such  vehicles  to  move  with  rapidity  alono- 
its  surface  through  its   waves  and  billows.     In  virtue    of 
this    arrangement,   the  ocean,   instead  of  standing  as   an 
everlasting   barrier   between    the   nations,   has  become  a 
medium  for  the  most  speedy  intercourse  between   distant 
lands.     The  atmosphere  which  surrounds  the   globe,  con- 
tributes likewise,  by  its  agency,    to  promote  the  same  im- 
portant end.     By  the   impulsion  of  its  different  masses,  in 
various  directions,  our  ships  are  wafted,  with   considerable 
velocity,  along  the  surface  of  rivers,  seas,  and  oceans,  to  tho 
remotest  extremities    of  the    globe.     By   means  of  these 
arrangements     which    the    Creator   has    established,   the 
treasures  of  the  mountains,  and  of  the  inland  parts  of  the 
continents,  and  islands,  are  conveyed  towards  the  sea,  and 
transported   from  one   island    and    continent   to    another  .; 
and  thus  the  various  tribes  of  mankind   have   an  opportu- 
nity of  visiting  each  other,   of  cultivating    an    affectionate 
intercourse,    and   of  contributing   to   their  mutual   enjoy- 
ment.    And,  as  it    is  probable    that   there   exist  in   nature 
certain  powers  or  principles,  not  yet  discovered,  the   agen- 
cy of  which  may  be  applied  to  the  propelling  of  machines 
and  vehicles  over  land  and  water,  and  through  the  regions 
of  the  atmosphere,  with  a  velocity  much   superior  to   what 
has  hitherto  been   cfTected ; — it    appears  evident,  that  the 
Creator,  in   forming   such   principles,    and  in    permitting 
man  to  discover  their  nature  and    energies,    intended    that 
they  should  be  applied  for  promoting  a  rapid    and   endear- 
ing intercourse  among  all  the  branches  of  that  large  fam- 


DESTINATION  OF    MAN.  121 

ily  which  he  has  placed  upon  the  globe.  And,  I  have 
no  doubt,  that  in  the  future  ages  of  the  world,  by  means 
of  improvements  in  art  and  science,  such  intercourse  will 
be  carried  on  in  the  spirit  of  benevolence,  to  an  extent, 
and  with  a  rapidity  of  which  we  cannot  at  present  form 
any  adequate  conception. 

It  appears,  then,  to  be  one  great  design  of  the  Creator 
ill  connecting  mankind  by  so  many  links,  and  in  render- 
ing them  dependent  upon  each  other,  though  placed  in 
opposite  regions  of  the  globe — to  lay  a  broad  foundation 
for  the  exercise  of  the  benevolent  affections  between  men 
of  all  nations,  and  ultimately  to  unite  the  whole  human 
race  in  one  harmonious  and  affectionate  society.  And,  it 
is  obviously  the  duty  of  every  human  being  to  cultivate 
those  dispositions,  and  to  prosecute  that  train  of  action 
which  have  a  tendency  to  accomplish  the  plans  of  the 
Universal  Parent,  and  to  promote  the  happiness  of  his  in- 
telligent offspring.  In  so  doing,  he  contributes  to  his 
own  individual  happiness,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  that 
of  all  the  moral  intelligences  in  heaven  and  earth  with 
which  he  is  connected. 


SECTION  III. 

The  ultimate  destination  of  mankind  considered  as  a  basis  for 
love  to  our  neighbour,  and  as  a  motive  to  its  exercise. 

The  present  world  is  not  the  ultimate  destination  of 
mankind.  It  is  only  a  passing  scene  through  which  they 
are  now  travelling  to  that  immortal  existence  which  will 
have  no  termination.  Man  is,  at  present,  in  the  infancy 
of  his  being,  his  faculties  are  only  beginning  to  expand, 
his  moral  powers  are  feeble  and  depraved,  his  intel- 
lectual views  are  circumscribed  within  a  narrow  range, 
and  all  the  relations  in  which  he  stands,  demonstrate  that 
the  present  scene  is  connected  with  the  future,  and 
is  introductory  to  a  higher  sphere  of  action  and  enjoy- 
ment. "We  know,"  says  the  Apostle  Paul,  "that  if 
this  earthly  house  of  our  tabernacle  were  dissolved, 
we    have  a  building  of  God,   an  house  not  made    with 


122  THE    PHILOSOPHV    OF    RELIGION. 

hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens."  And,  our  Saviour  de- 
clares, that  "  the  hour  is  coming,  in  which  all  that  are  in 
their  graves  shall  hear  his  voice,  and  shall  come  forth,"  and 
that  "  our  vile  bodies  shall  be  changed,  and  fashioned  like 
unto  his  glorious  body,"  and  shall  enter  into  the  enjoy- 
ment of  a  new  world,  "  which  is  incorruptible,  undefiled, 
and  which  fadeth  not  away." 

The  capacity  of  making  perpetual  advances  in  know- 
ledge and  moral  improvement  in  a  future  stale  of  exist- 
ence, is  that  in  which  the  true  dignity  of  man  consists  ; 
and,  in  this  capacity,  and  the  high  destination  with  which 
it  is  connected,  there  is  no  difference  between  the  high 
and  the  low,  the  slave  who  is  (chained  to  a  galley,  and  the 
sovereign,  at  vvhose  nod  the  nations  tremble.  They  are 
equally  destined  to  immortality,  and  will  exist  in  a  fu- 
ture world,  when  time,  and  all  the  arrangements  of  the 
present  state  shall  come  to  a  close.  If  man  were  only 
the  creature  of  a  day,  whose  prospects  are  bounded  by 
this  terrestrial  scene,  and  whose  hopes  terminate  in  the 
tomb,  it  might  appear  a  matter  of  comparatively  little  im- 
portance whether  or  not  our  benevolent  regards  were  ex- 
tended to  our  fellow-men,  except  in  so  far  as  our  self-in- 
terest and  avarice  were  concerned.  The  happiness  of  a 
fellow-creature  might  then  be  considered  as  a  matter  of 
indifference,  and  his  dissolution,  at  deatli,  a  circumstance 
as  trivial  as  the  falling  of  a  leaf  in  autumn,  or  the  sink- 
ing of  a  stone  to  the  bottom  of  the  ocean.  Even  in  this 
case,  however,  it  would  still  be  conducive  to  human  hap- 
piness, during  the  short  and  uncertain  span  of  our  exist- 
ence, that  all  the  branches  of  the  human  family  were  ce- 
mented together  in  union  and  affection.  But,  when  we 
reflect  that  all  the  intelligent  beings  around  us,  with 
whom  we  more  immediately  associate,  and  all  those  in 
distant  lands  with  whom  we  are  connected  by  the  ties 
of  one  common  nature,  and  on  whoin  we  depend  for 
many  of  our  comforts,  are  destined,  along  with  ourselves, 
to  an  eternal  world,  in  another  region  of  the  Creator's 
empire ;  and  that  the  affections  we  now  cultivate,  and 
the  conduct  we  pursue,  in  reference  to  our  brethren,  have 
an  intimate  relation  to  that  immortal  existence  ; — this 
«onsideration  stamps  an  importance  on  the  exercise  of 
brotherly  affection  which  is   beyond  the  power  of   human 


DESTINATION    OF    MAN.  123 

language  to  express.  It  shows  us,  that  the  dispositions 
which  we  now  indulge,  and  the  manner  in  which  we  treat 
the  meanest  of  our  fellow-creatures,  may  be  recognized, 
and  attended  with  the  most  important  effects  a  thousand 
millions  of  years  hence,  and  may  run  parallel,  in  their 
consequences,  even  with  eternity  itself. 

We  may,  perhaps,  view  it  as  a  matter  of  trivial  moment 
in  what  manner  we  now  conduct  ourselves  towards  a  ser- 
vant or  a  slave ,  whether  we  render  his  life  miserable  by 
hard  labour,  cruel  insults  and  contemptuous  treatment, 
or  study  to  promote  his  comfort  and  domestic  enjoyment  ; 
whether  we  neglect  to  instruct  him  in  the  knowledge 
of  his  duty  to  his  God  and  to  his  fellow-men,  or  labour 
to  promote  his  moral  and  religious  improvement.  We 
may  view  with  indifference  or  contempt  the  person 
and  the  family  of  a  poor  pious  neiglibour,  who  has 
earned  a  scanty  subsistence  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow,  and 
may  behold  his  body  laid  in  the  grave  with  as  much  apa- 
thy as  we  behold  the  carcass  of  a  dog  thrown  into  a  pond. 
But,  could  we  follow  the  pious  man  beyond  the  precincts 
of  the  tomb,  into  that  immortal  scene  which  has  burst 
upon  his  disencumbered  spirit ;  could  we  trace  the  gradu- 
al expansion  of  his  faculties  towards  objects  which  lie  be- 
yond the  grasp  of  mortals,  and  the  perfection  of  his  moral 
powers  ;  could  we  behold  his  mouldered  frame  starting 
up  to  new  life  at  "  the  resurrection  of  the  just,"  and  ar- 
rayed in  new  splendour  and  beauty ;  could  we  contem- 
plate him  placed  in  a  station  of  dignity  and  honour  amoncr 
"  the  sons  of  God,"  in  that  glorious  residence  to  which  he 
is  destined  ;  his  intellectual  powers  expanding,  grasping 
the  most  sublime  objects,  and  pushing  forward  in  the  ca- 
reer of  perpetual  improvement,  without  the  least  stain  of 
moral  imperfection, — would  we  now  treat  such  a  one 
with  malevolence,  or  even  with  indifference  or  neglect? 
And,  were  we  placed  by  his  side  in  such  a  dignified  sta- 
tion, what  would  our  feelings  be,  when  we  recollected  the 
apathy,  the  indifference,  and  even  the  contempt  with 
which  he  was  treated  in  this  sublunary  scene  ?  On  the 
other  hand,  could  we  follow  the  poor  wretched  slave  to 
the  future  world,  and  contemplate  the  degradation  and 
misery  to  which  he  is  there  reduced  in  consequence  of 
our  malevolence    and  neglect,  what  emotions    of  horror 


l24  THE    PHILOSOPHY     OF    RELIGION. 

and  indignation  should  we  not  feel  at  the  recollection  of 
iliat  pride  and  disaffection  which  led  us  to  act  so  basely 
towards  a  fellow-immortal,  whom  it  was  in  our  power  to 
have  trained  to  wisdom,  to  excellence,  and  to  a  happy  im- 
mortality ?  When,  therefore,  we  behold  individuals  with- 
holding their  benevolent  regard  from  their  brethren  of 
mankind,  and  treating  them  with  haughtiness  and  con- 
tempt, we  must  conclude,  that  such  persons  overlook  the 
true  dignity  of  man,  and  secretly  disbelieve  the  reality  of 
an  immortal  state  of  existence,  whatever  professions  they 
may  make  to  the  contrary.  For,  the  consideration  of  the 
eternal  destiny  of  mankind  reflects  a  dignity  on  the  mean- 
est human  being,  and  attaches  an  importance  to  all  our 
affections  and  actions  in  relation  to  him,  unspeakably 
greater  than  if  his  existence  were  circumscribed  within  the 
narrow  limits  of  time,  and  throws  completely  into  the  shade 
all  the  degrading  circumstances  with  which  he  is  now  sur- 
rounded. 

When  we  consider  our  brethren  of  the  human  family  in 
the  light  of  immortal  intelligences,  and  look  forward  to  the 
scenes  of  the  eternal  world,  a  crowd  of  interesting  reflec- 
tions naturally  arises  in  the  mind.  A  wide  and  unbound- 
ed prospect  opens  before  us.  Amidst  new  creations,  and 
the  revolutions  of  systems  and  worlds,  new  displays  of 
the  Creator's  power  and  providence  burst  upon  the  view. 
We  behold  ourselves  placed  on  a  theatre  of  action  and 
enjoyment,  and  passing  through  "  scenes  and  changes" 
which  bear  no  resemblance  to  the  transactions  and  events 
of  this  sublunary  world.  We  behold  ourselves  ming- 
ling with  beings  of  a  superior  order,  cultivating  nobler  af- 
fections, and  engaged  in  more  sublime  employments  than 
those  which  now  occupy  our  attention.  We  behold 
ourselves  associated  with  men  of  all  nations  and  kindreds, 
and  with  those  who  lived  in  the  remotest  periods  of 
time.  Millions  of  years  roll  on,  after  millions,  our  capa- 
cities and  powers  of  intellect  are  still  expanding,  and  new 
scenes  of  beauty  and  magnificence  are  perpetually  burst- 
ing on  the  astonished  mind,  without  any  prospect  of  a 
termination.  Amidst  those  eternal  scenes,  we  shall,  doubt- 
less, enter  into  the  most  intimate  connections  with  per- 
sons whom  we  have  never  seen,  from  whom  we  are  now 
separated  by  continents  and  oceans,  with  those  whose  bo- 


DESTINATION    OF    MAN.  125 

dies  are  now  mouldering  in  the  dust,  with  those  who  have 
not  yet  entered  on  the  stage  of  existence,  and  with  those 
with  whom  we  now  refuse  to  associate  on  account  of  their 
rank  and  station,  and  rehgious  opinions.  That  man  into 
whose  dwelHng  we  would  not  at  present  deign  to  enter, 
and  with  whom  we  would  abhor  to  mingle  in  the  public 
services  of  religion,  may  then  be  one  of  our  chief  compan- 
ions in  the  regions  of  bliss,  in  directing  and  expanding 
our  views  of  the  glory  and  magnificence  of  God.  The 
man  whom  we  now  hate  and  despise,  and  whose  offers  of 
assistance  we  would  treat  with  disdain,  may,  in  that  hap- 
pier world,  be  a  principal  agent  in  opening  to  our  view 
new  sources  of  contemplation  and  dehght.  That  servant 
whom  we  now  treat  as  a  being  of  inferior  species,  at  whom 
we  frown  and  scold  with  feelings  of  proud  superiority, 
may  be  our  instructor  and  director,  and  every  way  our 
superior  in  that  region  where  earthly  distinctions  are  un- 
known. That  humble  instructor  whom  we  now  despise, 
and  whose  sentiments  we  treat  with  contempt,  may,  in 
that  world  of  intelligence  and  love,  be  our  teacher,  and 
our  guide  to  direct  our  views  of  the  attributes  of  the  De- 
ity, of  the  arrangements  of  his  providence,  and  of  the  glo- 
ries of  his  empire.  There,  the  prince  may  yield  prece- 
dence to  his  subjects,  the  master  to  the  slave,  and  the  peer 
to  the  humblest  peasant.  For  no  pre-eminence  of  birth, 
fortune,  or  learning,  no  excellence  but  that  which  is  found- 
ed on  holiness  and  virtue,  on  moral  and  intellectual  en- 
dowments, will  have  any  place  in  the  arrangements  of  that 
world  where  human  distinctions  are  for  ever  abolished  and 
unknown.  And,  shall  we  now  refuse  to  acknowledge 
those  w^ho  are  to  be  our  friends  and  companions  in  that 
future  world?  Is  it  not  agreeable  to  the  dictates  of  reason, 
and  to  the  voice  of  God,  that  we  should  regard  them  witli 
complacency  and  affection,  whatever  be  the  garb  they  now 
wear,  whatever  be  their  colour  or  features,  and  in  what- 
ever island  or  continent  they  may  now  reside  ? 

It  must,  indeed,  be  admitted,  that  all  the  inhabitants  of 
our  world  will  not  be  exalted  to  dignity  and  happiness  in 
the  future  state.  A  great  proportion  of  them,  in  their 
present  state  of  depravity  and  degradation,  are  altogether 
unqualified  for  participating  in  the  exercises  and  enjoy- 
ments of  celestial  hitelligences.  Whole  nations  are  still 
II 


126  THE  PHILOSOPHY  of  religiox. 

overspread  with  intellectual  darkness,  ignorant  of  their 
eternal  destination,  and  immersed  in  immoralities  and 
vile  ahominations.  And,  even  in  those  countries  where 
the  light  of  revelation  has  dispelled  the  gloom  of  heathen- 
ism, a  vast  mass  of  human  beings  are  to  be  found,  "  hav- 
ing their  understandings  darkened,  alienated  from  the  life 
of  God,"  and  sunk  into  the  mire  of  every  moral  pollution. 
Still,  we  have  no  reason,  on  this  account,  to  overlook 
their  native  dignity,  and  their  high  destination.  Ev- 
ery human  being  we  see  around  us,  however  low  in 
rank,  or  degraded  by  vice,  is  endowed  with  an  immortal  na- 
ture^ and  is  capable  of  being  raised  to  the  dignity  of  an  in- 
habitant of  heaven  ;  and  there  is  not  a  single  individual  to 
whom  we  can  point,  either  in  our  own  country  or  in  other 
lands,  in  relation  to  whom  we  are  authorized  to  affirm, 
that  he  will  not  be  a  participator  in  immortal  bliss. 
And,  therefore,  every  man  with  whom  we  associate,  and 
whom  we  recognize  in  the  circle  of  society  around  us, 
ought  to  be  viewed  as  one  with  whom  we  may  associate 
in  the  world  to  come.  And  as  to  those  who  appear  to 
be  partially  enlightened  and  renovated  in  their  minds, 
we  ouglit  not  to  withhold  our  affection  and  complacency 
on  account  of  their  ignorance,  their  contracted  views, 
or  erroneous  opinions.  We  should  view  them,  not 
as  they  are  in  their  present  state  of  infancy  and  weak- 
ness, but  as  they  will  be  when  arrived  at  maturity  and  man- 
hood ;  not  as  they  appear  in  tlie  first  weak  essays  of  their 
intellectual  powers,  and  in  the  lowest  step  of  their  ex- 
istence, but  as  they  will  appear  in  their  career  of  improve- 
ment after  the  lapse  of  millions  of  ages.  Carrying  forward 
our  views  to  those  eternal  scenes,  and  accompanying 
our  brethren  of  the  human  family  through  all  the  gra- 
dations of  their  existence  in  future  worlds,  we  behold 
their  faculties  in  progressive  expansion,  their  minds  ap- 
proximating nearer  to  the  source  of  eternal  wisdom,  their 
views  of  tiie  empire  of  Omnipotence  continually  enlarging, 
their  knowledge  of  the  plan  of  redemption,  and  its  numer- 
ous bearings,  forever  increasing ;  their  love  and  affection 
to  Ood  and  to  fellow  intelligences  waxing  into  a  more 
ardent  flame  ;  every  evil  propensity  corrected,  every  im- 
perfection removed,  every  blossom  of  virtue  fully  expand- 
ed, and  "joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory"  pervading  eve- 
ry faculty  of  their  souls.     And  can  we  behold  intelligent 


EFFECTS    OF    MALEVOLENCE.  127 

minds,  capable  of  so  high  and  dignified  attainments,  and 
the  companions  of  our  future  destiny,  with  indillerence  or 
contempt  ?  Is  there  not  here  a  broad  foundation  hiid  for 
the  most  expansive  emanations  of  love  towards  every 
member  of  the  great  family  of  mankind,  however  much 
he  may  be  obscm-ed,  and  sullied  by  lolly  and  sin  in  this 
lirst  stage  of  his  existence  ? 

In  the  mean  time,  while  the  greater  part  of  mankind 
are  immersed  in  ignorance  and  vice,  while  the  image  of 
their  jMaker  is  defaced,  and  their  immortal  powers  prosti- 
tuted to  the  vilest  passions,  the  most  noble  and  honourable 
operation  in  which  love  can  be  engaged,  is  to  devise  and 
execute  schemes  by  which  our  degraded  brethren  may 
be  raised  to  intellectual  and  moral  excellence :  to  train 
up  young  immortals  in  religion  and  virtue  ;  to  diffuse 
the  principles  of  useful  knowledge  among  all  ranks  ;  to 
counteract  the  diabolical  spirit  of  war  and  contention  ;  to 
abolish  slavery  in  every  shape ;  to  ameliorate  the  social 
and  domestic  condition  of  the  lower  orders  of  society  ;  to 
publish  the  revelation  of  God  in  every  language,  aiid  to 
send  forth  the  messengers  of  salvation  to  every  land,  to  in- 
struct men  of  all  nations  and  kindreds  and  tongues  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  true  God,  and  of  the  path  which  leads 
to  a  blessed  immortality.  Thus  shall  we  be  enabled  to 
manifest  our  love  towards  all  our  brethren  of  the  human  fa- 
mily ;  thus  shall  we  contribute  to  render  them  worthy  of 
our  highest  affection,  and  to  prepare  them  for  the  exalted 
exercises  and  employments  of  the  life  to  come. 


SECTION  IV. 

Love  to  God  and  our  Neighbour  enforced,  and  illustrated, 
from  i  consideration  of  the  miserable  effects  winch  would 
ensue  were  these  pri?iciples  reversed,  and  ivere  rational 
beings  to  act  accordingly. 

The  two  leading  principles  which  I  have  endeavoured 
to  illustrate,  in  the  preceding  pages,  form  the  basis  of  the 
moral  order  of  the  intelligent  universe.  Consequently, 
were  these  principles  reversed,   and  were  moral   agents  to 


128  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

act  accordingly,  tlie  moral  world  would  soon  bo  transform- 
ed into  a  scene  of  the  most  dismal  anarchy  and  confusion. 
Every  action  would  be  dictated  by  feelings  of  pure  malev- 
olence^ and  misery  in  every  shape  would  be  the  great  ob- 
ject which  human  beings  would  exert  their  powers  to  ac- 
complish. Could  we  suppose  for  a  moment,  that  society 
could  subsist  for  any  length  of  time  under  the  unrestrained 
operation  of  such  a  principle,  the  following,  among  many 
thousands  of  similar  effects,  would  be  the  natural  and  nec- 
essary results. 

Every  individual  would  exhibit,  in  every  action,  the 
character  of  a  fiend  ;  and  every  family  would  display  a 
miniature  picture  of  hell.  Between  the  husband  and  wife 
tliere  would  be  nothing  but  incessant  brawling,  dissention, 
and  execration.  Whatever  was  ardently  desired  by  the 
one  would  be  as  resolutely  and  obstinately  opposed  by 
the  other ;  and  the  fury  and  resentment  excited  by  unsa- 
tisfied desires,  and  disappointed  hopes,  would  destroy 
every  vestige  of  peace  and  tranquillity,  and  stimulate 
a  host  of  infernal  passions  to  rage  without  control.  Their 
children  would  be  actuated  by  the  same  diabolical  tem- 
pers. The  son  would  take  an  infernal  pleasure  in  curs- 
ing, insulting  and  reproaching  "  the  father  that  begat 
liim,"  and  in  trampling  with  scorn  and  indignation  on  the 
mother  who  gave  him  birth.  Brothers  and  sisters  would 
live  under  the  continual  influence  of  malice  and  envy, 
"  hateful,  and  hating  one  another."  Whatever  actions 
tended  to  irritate,  to  torment,  and  to  enrage  the  pas- 
sions of  each  other,  and  to  frustrate  their  desires  and 
expectations,  would  be  performed  with  a  grin  of  infernal 
delight.  Mutual  scuilles  and  execrations  would  ensue. 
One  would  have  his  eye-ball  bruised,  or  knocked  out  of 
its  socket,  another  would  have  his  teeth  driven  out  of 
his  jaws  ;  one  would  have  his  hair  torn  from  its  roots, 
another,  his  skull  fractured  Avith  repealed  blo#s  ;  the 
legs  of  one  would  be  full  of  bruises  and  putrifying  sores, 
and  the  face  of  another  all  over  covered  with  blotches 
and  S(;ars,  most  hideous  to  behold  ;  and,  in  the  progress 
of  contention,  the  hand  of  a  brother  would  plunge  his 
dagger  into  a  brother's  heart.  In  larger  societies,  iraud, 
falsehood,    deceit,    seduction,    quarrels,    oppression,    pluu- 


ErFECTS    OF    MALEVOLENXE.  129 

der,  rapine,  murder  and  assassination,  would  be  the  com- 
mon occurrences  oi'  every  day  and  every  hour.  The  sel- 
ler would  uniformly  endeavour  to  cheat  the  buver,  and 
the  buyer  would  endeavour  by  every  kind  of  fraud,  or 
open  force,  to  deprive  the  seller  of  the  value  of  his  com- 
modities. Poison  would  be  sold  for  medicine,  and  dele- 
terious mixtures  and  poisonous  drugs  Avhould  be  mixed  up 
with  the  common  articles  of  food,  that  the  venders  might 
enjoy  the  diabolical  pleasure  of  hearing  of  the  pains,  the 
agonies,  and  the  dying  groans  of  the  victims  of  their  vil- 
lany.  The  debauchee  would  triumph  in  the  number  of 
victims  he  had  rendered  wretched  and  forlorn  by  his 
wiles  and  depraved  passions ;  the  strong  would  oppress 
the  weak,  and  rejoice  in  depriving  them  of  every  com- 
ibrt,  and  the  pov/erful  would  exult  in  trampling  under 
their  feet  the  persons  and  the  property  of  tlie  poor,  and 
in  beholding  the  extent  of  the  miseries  they  had  created. 
In  the  common  intercourse  of  life,  every  one  would  be 
maltreated,  insulted  and  reproached,  as  he  walked  along 
the  street ;  the  lip  would  be  shot  out  with  a  diabolical 
grin  at  every  passenger,  which  would  be  returned  with 
the  frown  and  the  scowl  of  a  demon.  Every  passenger 
that  met  another  on  the  high-way  would  be  encountered 
with  blows,  execrations  and  leproaches  ;  and  he  who  met 
his  neighbour  unawares  in-  the  recesses  of  a  forest,  would 
receive  a  dagger  in  his  breast  before  he  was  aware  of  his 
danger.  AVords  would  be  exchanged  between  man  and 
man  that  would  cut  each  other's  liearts  "  like  the  pierc- 
ings of  a  sv/ord,"  and  horrible  contentions,  accompanied 
with  rage  and  fury,  and  wounds  and  bruises,  would  be 
presented  to  the  view  in  every  city,  and  tillage,  and  rural 
scene.  When  one  had  finished  a  house  to  shelter  him 
from  the  storm,  a  number  of  desperadoes,  in  horrid  com- 
bination, would  overturn  the  mansion,  and  crush  him 
among  the  ruins.  When  one  had  planted  vines  and  fruit 
lrees,  others  would  seize  the  opportunity  when  they  were 
beginning  to  bud  and  blossom,  to  tear  them  up  by  the 
roots  ;  persons  who  sowed  the  seed  in  spring  could  have 
no  confidence  that  they  would  ever  reap  the  fruits  in  au- 
tumn ;  and  no  one  could  have  the  least  security,  that  th« 
wealth  and  property  he  possessed  to-day  would  be  his  to- 
morrow. No  one  could  feel  secure  for  a  single  hour> 
11* 


13l}  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

that  his  life  was  not  in  danjrer  from  the  sword  of  the  mur- 
derer or  the  assassin  ;  every  man  would  live  in  continual 
fear  and  alarm  ;  no  pleasing  prospects,  nor  hopes  of  future 
enjoyment  would  ever  calm  the  tumultuous  passions,  or 
cheer  the  distracted  mind ;  all  confidence  betvreen  man 
and  man  would  be  completely  destroyed  ;  falsehood  in  ev- 
ery shape  would  walk  triumphant ;  the  mind  would  be 
distracted  amidst  its  ignorance  of  the  scenes  and  events 
that  were  happening  around  it ;  for  no  intelligence  could 
be  believed,  and  no  one  could  certainly  know  the  reality 
of  any  object  or  event,  unless  he  beheld  it  with  his  own 
eyes.  Schools,  seminaries  of  learning,  universities  and 
academies,  would  have  no  existence,  and  no  one  could 
gain  an  acquaintance  with  any  principle,  or  fact  in  the 
universe  around  him,  except  in  so  far  as  he  had  made  the 
investigation  by  means  of  his  own  senses  and  powers. 
Tormented  by  tumultuous  passions  raging  within,  in  con- 
tinual alarm  from  desperadoes,  plunderers  and  assassins 
raging  around,  looking  back  on  the  past  with  horrible  re- 
collections, and  contemplating  the  future  with  terror  and 
dismay,  the  mind  would  feel  itself  fixed  in  a  scene  of 
misery  and  wretchedness,  which  no  words  could  describe, 
nor  pencil  delineate. 

If  we  (!Ould  suppose  a  number  of  such  beings  leagued 
together  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  the  schemes  of  ma- 
levolence more  completely  into  effect,  one  of  their  em- 
ployments would  be  to  set  fire  to  houses  and  villages,  in 
order  that  they  might  enjoy  the  infernal  pleasure  of  see- 
ing their  fellow-creatures  deprived  of  every  shelter,  and  of 
beholding  men,  women  and  children,  roasting  in  the 
fiames.  Another  employment  would  be  to  poison  the 
springs  of  water,  that  tliey  might  behold  one  after  another, 
from  the  sucking  child  to  the  hoary  head,  seized  with  ex- 
cruciating pains,  and  sinking  into  the  agonies  of  death. 
Anotlicr  gratification  of  malevolence  M'ould  be  to  dam  up 
the  rivers  in  their  rapid  course,  that  they  might  overflow 
the  circumjacent  plains,  in  order  that  they  might  feast 
their  eyes  on  the  scenes  of  devastation  and  ruin  that  would 
thus  be  created,  and  on  the  terror  and  destruction  of  the 
wretched  inhabitants.  The  conflagration  of  a  city, 
with  all  its  accompaniments,  the  crash  of  falling  houses, 
and  of  palaces  tumbling  into  ruin  ;  the  terror  and  confusion 


EFFECTS    OF    MALEVOLENCE.  131 

of  its  inhabitrints,  the  wailings  of  women  and  cliildren, 
and  the  groans  of  the  burning  victims,  would  be  a  feast  to 
the  eyes,  and  music  to  the  ears  of  such  mahgnant  beings, 
as  they  once  were  to  iVero,  when,  from  the  top  of  a  high 
tower,  he  beheld  Rome  wrapt  in  the  flames  which  he 
himself  had  kindled,  and  sung  on  his  lyre  the  destruction 
of  Troy.  Even  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean,  such  revolting 
scenes  would  be  frequently  realized.  When  two  ships 
descried  each  other,  a  diabolical  onset  would  ensue. 
To  set  on  flames  the  respective  vessels,  to  sink  them  in 
the  deep,  or  to  cause  them  to  burst  with  a  horrid  explosion, 
would  be  the  object  of  both  the  crews  ;  that  they  might  feast 
their  malevolence  on  the  spectacle  of  wounds  and  carnage, 
of  drowning  wretches  covered  with  blood  and  scars,  fight- 
ing with  the  billows,  and  scrambling  for  safety  among  the 
shattered  fragments  of  the  wreck. 

Were  it  possible  that  discoveries  in  art  and  science 
could  be  made  by  intelligences  actuated  by  such  malig- 
nant passions,  they  would  be  all  applied  to  subserve  the 
purposes  of  malevolence.  The  force  of  gun-powder  would 
be  employed  to  blow  ships  and  houses  to  atoms,  to  shake 
populous  cities  to  their  foundations,  and  to  create  among 
their  inhabitants  universal  horror  and  alarm  ;  the  force  of 
steam  would  be  employed  in  producing  destructive  explo- 
sions, and  in  propelling  the  instruments  of  death  and  de- 
vastation among  a  surrounding  populace.  Air  balloons 
would  be  employed  for  enabling  them  to  carry  their  ma- 
lignant schemes  in  relation  to  distant  tribes,  moi-e  speedi- 
ly into  eflTect,  lor  hurling  down  upon  towns  and  villages, 
stones,  and  bullets,  and  darts,  and  for  enabling  them  to 
escape  in  safety,  when  they  had  finished  the  work  of  de- 
struction. The  discovery  of  the  nature  of  lightning,  and 
its  identity  to  the  electrical  fluid,  instead  of  being  applied 
for  the  protection  of  persons  and  of  buildings  from  the 
stroke  of  that  terrific  meteor,  would  be  destined  to  the 
purpose  of  devastation  and  destruction.  The  electricity 
of  the  atmosphere,  and  the  lightnings  from  the  clouds 
would  be  conducted  and  directed  so  as  to  set  on  fire  stacks 
of  corn,  to  shatter  lofty  buildings,  and  lay  groups  of  men 
and  cattle  prostrate  with  the  dust.  Every  mechanical 
power,  and  all  the  combinations  of  physical  forces  which 
art  can  produce,  w^ould  be  applied  to  the   framing  of  en- 


132  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGIOX. 

gines  for  torture,  devastation  and  massacre;  and  on  the 
front  of  every  new  invention,  would  be  displayed,  as  if 
engraved  in  legible  characters,  terror,  misery,  and  de- 
struction. 

Could  we  suppose  for  a  moment  such  beings  occasion- 
ally combining  together,  on  a  large  scale,  for  the  purpose 
of  more  extensively  glutting  their  malevolence,  their  con- 
duct towards  each  other  as  nations,  and  the  contests  in 
which  they  would  be  engaged  in  this  capacity,  would  be 
tremendous  and  horrible  beyond  the  power  of  description. 
Every  malevolent  aifection  would  be  brought  into  action ; 
every  infernal  passion  would  be  raised  to  its  highest  pitch 
of  fury ;  every  one,  stimulated  by  his  associates,  would 
breathe  nothing  but  revenge,  execrations,  slaughter,  and 
utter  extermination  against  opposing  armies  ;  every  engine 
of  human  destruction  \vhich  ingenuity  could  invent,  would 
be  brought  into  the  scene  of  action  ;  tlie  yell  of  demons 
would  accompany  the  fierce  and  sanguinary  onset ;  and  a 
scene  of  horror  would  ensue  beyond  the  power  of  imagin- 
ation to  conceive — which  would  not  terminate,  till  tlie  one 
class  of  combatants  had  exterminated  the  other — till  they 
had  trampled  down  and  destroyed  the  fruits  of  their  ground, 
and  turned  their  land  into  a  wilderness — till  they  had 
burned  their  villages  to  ashes,  and  tumbled  their  cities 
into  a  heap  of  ruins — till  they  had  drenched  their  fields 
with  blood,  and  strewed  them  with  skulls  and  limbs,  and 
the  mangled  carcasses  of  thousands  and  ten  thousands  of 
men,  women,  and  children,  thrown  together  in  horrible 
confusion.  But  it  is  needless  to  dwell  on  such  scenes  ; 
since  the  history  of  all  nations — since  even  the  history  of 
modern  Europe  presents  ns  with  spectacles  of  horror, 
scarcely  inferior  to  those  T  have  now  described,  and  with 
moral  agents  who  bear  too  striking  a  resemblance  to  those 
whose  actions  are  completely  subversive  of  the  second 
commandment  of  the  law,  "  Thou  shah  love  thy  neighbour 
as  thyself:' 

Such,  then,  would  be  some  of  the  dreadful  elTccts  which 
would  flow  from  a  subversion  of  the  second  j)rinciple  of 
the  moral  law,  if  we  could  suppose  that  organical  intelli- 
gences not  endowed  vith  immortal  bodies,  could  exist  for 
any  length  of  time  amidst  such  scenes  of  depravity  and 
wretchedness.     But  it  is  mure  than  probable,  that  such 


EFFECTS    OF    MALEVOLENCE.  133 

a  State  of  society  could  not  long  subsist  in  such  a  world  as 
we  now  inhabit,  and  among  rational  beings  whose  cor- 
poreal organization  is  constructed  after  the  model  of  the 
human  frame.  The  wliole  mass  of  society  in  every  land 
would  soon  be  transformed  into  one  boundless  scene  of 
anarchy  and  confusion  ;  every  one  would  flee  from  his  neigh- 
bour as  from  an  infernal  fiend  ;  a  war  of  universal  exter- 
mination would  commence ;  nothing  would  be  beheld  over 
all  the  regions  of  the  globe  but  spectacles  of  rapine,  devas- 
tation, and  destruction ;  and  nothing  would  be  heard 
amonof  all  the  eight  hundred  millions  of  its  inhabitants  but 
the  voice  of  execration,  and  the  yells  of  lamentation,  and 
mourning,  and  wo — till  at  length  every  beauty  which  now 
adorns  the  face  of  nature  would  be  effaced,  every  fertile 
field  transformed  into  a  desert,  every  human  habitation 
overturned,  and  every  inhabitant  of  the  earth  sunk  into 
oblivion.*  This  is  one  of  the  most  terrible  representa- 
tions we  can  form  of  the  horrors  of  the  future  state  of  pun- 
ishment, where  malevolent  passions  rage  without  control ; 
and  the  considerations  now  stated,  demonstrate,  that  the 
man  who  is  actuated  by  a  principle  of  hostility  towards 
his  neighbour,  is  training  and  preparing  himself  for  becom- 
ing an  inhabitant  of  that  miserable  and  dreary  region, 
"  where  the  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire"  of  malevolence 
and  revenge  "  is  never  quenched."  We  are  thus  instruct- 
ed, that  if  there  be  a  future  state  at  all,  it  must,  from  the 
very  nature  and  constitution  of  things,  be  a  state  of  misery 
and  horror  to  every  man  whose  mind  is  under  the  unre- 
strained dominion  of  depraved  affections  and  malignant 
passions  ;  so  that  there  is   no  possibility,   in  such  a  case, 


*  Whether  such  scenes  as  some  of  those  now  described  maybe 
rcaUzed  in  the  future  state  of  punishment,  or  whether  the  principles 
of  the  moral  law  will  be  entirely  subverted  among  the  miserable  be- 
ings who  are  subjected  to  that  punishment,  it  becomes  not  us  posi- 
tively to  determine.  But  we  can  scarcely  conceive  a  more  horrible 
idea  than  that  of  intelliirent  beings  acting  uniformly  from  principles 
of  pure  malevolence,  and,  at  the  same  time,  endowed  ^'xih  immortal 
bodies,  capable  of  sensations  similar  to  those  we  now  feel.  In  this 
case,  every  accumulated  wound  received  from  malignant  associates, 
would  be  an  additional  source  of  pain  and  misery,  which  would  con- 
tinually increase  without  any  prospect  of  relief  from  the  stroke  of 
death. 


134  THfi    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

of  escaping  "the  wrath  to  come,"  unless  the  moral 
constitution  of  the  intelligent  miiverse  were  entirely  sub- 
verted. 

If,  then,  it  appears,  that  such  dismal  consequences 
would  flow  from  the  subversion  of  this  principle,  or  law,  it 
is  obvious,  that  the  law  itself  must  be  "  holy,  just,  and  good," 
and  calculated  to  promote  the  perfection  and  happiness  of 
all  created  intelligences,  among  whom  it  is  found  in  full 
operation.  And,  in  a  world  such  as  ours,  where  this  law 
is  partially  violated,  the  consequent  misery  which  is  suf- 
fered, will  be  nearly  in  proportion  to  the  extent  to  w^hich 
this  violation  is  carried,  and  to  the  number  of  individuals 
who  are  actuated  by  a  principle  of  opposition  to  its  re- 
quirements. 

In  like  manner,  it  might  be  shown,  that  the  most  dis- 
mal effects  would  be  produced,  were  the  lirst  principle  of 
the  moral  law  reversed,  and  the  malevolence  of  intelligent 
beings  directed  towards  their  Creator.  In  this  case,  in- 
stead of  assembled  multitudes  joining  in  solemn  adora- 
tions of  the  divine  character  and  perfections,  the  God  of 
heaven  would  be  blasphemed,  and  his  name  abhorred  in 
every  land.  Instead  of  reverence  and  profound  humility 
in  the  presence  of  Jehovah,  a  spirit  of  pride  and  indepen- 
dency, and  an  impatience  of  control  would  pervade  every 
mind.  Instead  of  thanksgivings  for  the  bounties  of  his  prov- 
idence, the  basest  ingratitude  would  be  manifested,  and  the 
most  marked  contempt  of  all  his  favours.  Instead  of  cor- 
dial submission  to  his  wise  arrangements,  nothing  but 
murmurings,  and  repinings  would  be  heard,  and  the  most 
presumptuous  decisions  uttered  against  all  the  dispensa- 
tions of  his  providence.  Instead  of  complacenc}^  and  delight 
in  his  .character  and  operations,  insults  and  reproaches 
would  burst  forth  at  every  display  of  his  wisdom,  justice, 
and  omnipotence.  Instead  of  admiration  of  the  beauty 
and  grandeur  of  his  wonderful  works  in  heaven  and  earth, 
feelings  of  contempt  and  disdain  would  be  mingled  with 
all  their  surveys  of  the  operations  of  nature.  His  omnip- 
otence would  be  disregarded,  his  benevolence  called  in 
question  or  despised,  and  his  wisdom  and  intelligence  ar- 
raigned. Like  Alphonso  king  of  Castile,  they  would  not 
liesitate  to  afhrm,  "  If  we  had  been  of  God's  privy  coun- 
cil when  he  made  the  world,  v.-e  would  have  advised  him 


EFFECTS    OF    MALEVOLEXCE.  135 

better."  Under  the  influence  of  such  diabolical  disposi- 
tions, the  harmony  of  the  visible  creation  would  be  at- 
tempted to  be  deranged,  and  its  beauties  defaced,  in  so 
far  as  their  limited  powers  would  be  able  to  efiect.  The 
fields  would  be  stripped  of  their  verdure ;  the  forests 
would  be  torn  up  by  the  roots,  and  strewed  in  shapeless 
masses  along  the  plains  ;  the  vegetable  beauties  which 
now  diversify  the  rural  landscape  would  be  effaced ;  the 
rivers  would  be  turned  out  of  their  courses  to  overflow  the 
adjacent  plains,  and  to  transform  them  into  stagnant  marsh- 
es and  standing  pools  ;  the  air  would  be  impregnated  with 
pestflential  vapours ;  and  the  grand,  and  beautiful,  and 
picturesque  scenes  of  nature  would  be  stripped  of  tlieir 
glory,  leaving  nothing  but  naked  rocks  and  barren  deserts 
covered  with  the  wrecks  of  nature,  to  mark  the  operations 
of  malevolence. 

Such  would  be  the  dispositions  and  the  conduct  of  intel- 
ligent beings,  were  the  first  principle  of  the  moral  law  re- 
versed, and  their  actions  regulated  by  a  principle  of  malev- 
olence ;  and  such,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  are  the  dis- 
positions of  every  man  in  whose  heart  the  love  of  God  has 
never  taken  up  its  residence.  Revolting  as  the  scenes 
now  supposed  must  appear  to  every  mind  possessed  of 
moral  feeling,  they  must  be  admitted  to  be  the  necessary 
results  of  malignant  passions  raging  without  control.  And, 
if  there  be  any  region  of  creation  in  which  pure  malevo- 
lence actuates  its  inhabitants,  we  mnst  suppose  the  re- 
straining influence  of  the  Almighty  interposed,  to  preserve 
their  malignant  operations  within  those  bounds  which  are 
consistent  with  the  plans  of  his  moral  government,  and  the 
general  happiness  of  the  intelligent  universe. — That  prin- 
ciples and  practices  have  existed  among  mankind,  which, 
if  left  to  operate  without  restraint,  would  produce  all  the 
effects  now  supposed,  appears  from  the  description  which 
the  Apostle  Paul  gives  of  the  character  of  the  Gentile 
world,  and  even  of  that  portion  of  it  which  had  been 
brought  into  a  civilized  state.  He  declares  that  "  they 
did  not  like  to  retain  God  in  their  knowledge,  but  chang- 
ed the  glory  of  the  incorruptible  God  into  an  image  made 
like  to  corruptible  man,  and  to  birds,  and  four-footed 
beasts,  and  creeping  things,"  that  they  were  "  filled  with 
all  unrighteousness,  fornication,  wickedness,  covetousness, 


136  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

maliciousness  ;"  that  they  were  "  full  of  envy,  murder,  de- 
ceit, malignity,  backbiters,  haters  of  God,  despiteful,  proud, 
boasters,  inventors  of  evil  things,  disobedient  to  parents  ; 
without  understanding,  without  natural  affection,  implacable, 
umnerciful.  Who  knowing  the  judgment  of  God,  that  they 
who  commit  such  things  are  worthy  of  death,  not  only  do 
the  same,  but  have  pleasure  in  them  that  do  them."  Were 
practices  and  passions  of  this  description,  which  are  all  di- 
rectly opposed  to  the  principle  of  benevolence,  to  operate 
without  control,  the  universe  would  soon  be  transformed 
into  a  boundless  scene  of  devastation  and  sterility,  of  mis- 
ery and  horror,  of  lamentation  and  wo. 

Turning  our  eyes  from  such  revolting  scenes,  I  shall 
now  direct  the  attention  of  my  readers  to  a  more  pleasing 
picture,  and  endeavour  to  delineate  some  of  the  happy 
effects  which  would  naturally  result  from  a  complete  con- 
formity in  thought  and  action,  to  the  principles  of  the  di- 
vine law. 


SECTION  V. 

Effects  which  would  flow  from  the  full  operation  of  the 
principle  of  Love  to  God  and  to  Man. 

Were  this  divine  principle  in  full  operation  among  the 
intelligences  that  people  our  globe,  this  world  would  be 
transformed  into  a  paradise,  the  moral  desert  would  be 
changed  into  a  fruitful  Held,  and  "  blossom  as  the  rose," 
and  Eden  would  again  appear  in  all  its  beauty  and  de- 
light. Fraud,  deceit,  and  artifice,  with  all  their  con- 
comitant train  of  evils,  would  no  longer  walk  rampant  in 
every  land.  Prosecutions,  lawsuits,  and  all  the  innu- 
merable vexatious  litigations  which  now  disturb  the  peace 
of  society,  would  cease  from  among  men.  Etery  debt 
would  be  pimctually  paid ;  every  commodity  sold  at  its 
just  value  ;  every  article  of  merchandise  exhibited  in  its 
true  character  ;  every  promise  faillifully  performed  ;  eve- 
ry dispute  amicably  adjusted  ;  every  man's  (-haracter  held 
in  estimation ;  every  rogue  and  cheat  banished  from 
society ;  and  every  jail,  bridewell,  and  house  of  correc- 


EFFECTS    OF    BENEVOLENCE.  137 

tion,  would  either  be  swept  away,  or  transformed  into  the 
abodes  of  honesty,  industry,  and  peace.  Injustice  and 
oppression  would  no  lonirer  walk  triumphant  through  the 
world,  while  the  poor,  the  widow,  and  the  fatherless, 
were  groaning  under  the  iron  rod  of  those  who  had  de- 
prived them  of  every  comfort.  No  longer  would  the  cap- 
tive be  chained  to  a  dungeon,  and  doomed  to  count,  in 
sorrow  and  solitude,  the  many  long  days  and  years  he 
has  been  banished  from  the  light  of  day,  and  the  society 
of  his  dearest  friends.  No  longer  should  we  see  a  hard- 
hearted creditor  doom  a  poor  unfortunate  man,  for  the 
sake  of  a  few  shillings  or  pounds,  to  rot  in  a  jail,  while 
his  family,  deprived  of  his  industry,  were  pining  away  in 
wretchedness  and  want.  No  longer  should  we  hear  the 
harsh  creaking  of  iron  doors,  ponderous  bolts,  and  the 
clanking  of  the  chains  of  criminals  ;  nor  the  sighs  and 
groans  of  the  poor  slave,  fainting  under  the  lash,  and  the 
reproaches  of  a  cruel  master.  The  bands  of  the  oppress- 
ed would  be  loosed,  the  captives  would  be  set  at  liberty, 
the  iron  fetters  would  be  burst  asunder,  and  a  universal 
jubilee  proclaimed  throughout  every  land.  The  haunts 
of  riot  and  debauchery  \Vould  be  forsaken,  and  their  in- 
mates hissed  from  the  abodes  of  men.  The  victims  of 
seduction  would  no  longer  crowd  our  streets  at  the  dead 
hour  of  night,  to  entice  the  "  simple  o.nes"  into  the  paths 
of  vice  and  destruction  ;  but  purity,  righteousness,  and 
peace  would  "  run  -down  our  streets  like  a  river,"  distri- 
buting safety,  happiness,  and  repose. 

The  tongue  of  the  slanderer,  and  the  whisperings  of  the 
backbiter  would  no  longer  b(?  heard  in  their  malicious  at- 
tempts to  sow  the  seeds  of  discord  and  contention  among 
brethren.  Falsehood  in  all  its  ramifications,  with  the  nu- 
merous train  of  evils  it  now  produces,  would  be  banished 
from  the  interco.u^U  of  society  ;  nor  would  treachery 
prove  tjie  ruin  of  ^Kilies  and  societies,  and  interrupt  the 
harmony  of  the  cMmerci-al  and  the  moral  world.  No 
longer  should  we  hear  of  the  embezzUng  of  property  by 
unfaitliful  servants  ;  nor  of  the  blasted  hopes,  the  cruel 
disappointments,  and  the  ruin  of  credit  and  of  reputation 
now  produced  by  the  votaries  ot^  fatselwod.  "  Th©  lipis  of 
trulh  would  be  established  foit^ver,"  and  the  liar  and  de- 
ceiver would  bje  hissed  to  the  shades  of  hell.  Our  proper 
12    ' 


138  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

ty  would  remain  sacred  and  secure  from  the  thief  and  the 
midnight  robber,  and  our  persons  from  tlie  attacks  of  the 
murderer  and  the  assassin.  We  should  no  long^er  hesitate 
to  prosecute  our  journeys  by  day  or  by  night  for  fear  of  the 
footpaJ  or  the  liighwayman  ;  but  should  recognize  every 
passenger  as  a  friend  and  protector.  Plunder  and  devas- 
tation would  cease  from  the  earth  :  "  violence  would  no 
more  bo  heard  in  our  land ;  nor  wasting,  nor  destruction 
in  all  our  borders."  Execrations  and  malicious  insults 
would  never  harrow  up  the  feelings  of  our  fellow-men,  nor 
would  a  single  instance  of  revenge  be  heard  of  among  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth. 

Pride,  which  now  stalks  about,  with  stately  steps  and 
lofty  looks,  surveying  surrounding  intelligences  with  feel- 
ings of  contempt,  would  be  for  ever  banished  from  the 
world.  Ambition  would  no  longer  wade  through  slaugh- 
ter to  a  throne,  nor  trample  on  the  rights  of  an  injured 
people.  Wars  would  cease  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and 
the  instruments  of  human  destruction  would  be  beaten  in- 
to ploughshares  and  pruning  hooks.  That  scourge  which 
has  drenched  the  earth  with  human  gore — which  has  con- 
vulsed every  nation  under  heaven — which  has  produced 
tenfold  more  misery  than  all  the  destructive  elements  of 
nature,  and  which  has  swept  from  existence  so  many  mil- 
lions of  mankind — would  be  regarded  as  the  eternal  dis- 
grace of  the  human  character,  and  the  most  shocking  dis- 
play of  depravity  in  the  annals  of  our  race.  No  longer 
should  we  hear  "  the  sound  of  the  trumpet  and  the  alarm 
of  war,"  the  confused  noise  of  "  the  horseman  and  the 
bowman,"  and  of  the  mighty  armies  encamping  around  "  the 
city  of  the  innocent,"  to  hurl  against  its  walls  the  instru- 
ments of  destruction.  No  longer  should  we  behold  the  fires 
blazing  on  the  mountain  tops  to  spread  the  alarm  of  in- 
vading armies  ;  nor  the  city  which  was  once  full  of  inhabi- 
tants *'  sitting  solitary,"  without  a  voice  being  heard  witlwn 
its  dwellings,  but  the  sighs  of  the  disconsolate,  and  tho 
groans  of  the  dying.  Human  wolves  thirsting  for  the 
blood  of  nations,  would  cease  to  prowl  among  men.  Na- 
lion  would  not  lift  up  sword  against  nation,  neither 
would  they  learn  war  any  more.  The  instruments  of  cru- 
elty, the  Slake,  the  rack,  the  knout,  and  the  lash,  would 
no  longer  lacerate  and  torture  the  wretched  culprit  ;  can- 


EFFECTS    OF    BENEVOLENCE.  139 

nons  and  guns,  and  swords  and  darts,  would  be  forged  no 
more  ;  but  the  influence  of  reason  and  affection  would 
preserve  order  and  harmony  throughout  every  department 
of  society.  The  traveller,  when  lantlinir  on  distant  shores, 
and  on  the  islands  of  the  oeean,  would  no  longer  be  as- 
sailed with  stones,  spears,  arrows,  and  other  instruments 
of  death,  and  be  obliged  to  flee  from  the  haunts  of  his  own 
species  to  take  refuge  in  the  lion's  den,  or  on  the  bosom 
of  the  deep  ;  but  would  be  welcomed  as  a  friend  .and  a 
messenger  of  peace.  The  animosities  which  now  pre- 
vail among  religious  bodies  would  cease  ;  the  nick-names 
by  which  the  different  sects  of  religionists  have  been  dis- 
tinguished would  be  erased  from  the  vocabulary  of  every 
language ;  Christians  would  feel  ashamed  of  those  jea- 
lousies and  evil  surmisings  which  they  have  so  long  mani- 
fested towards  each  other  ;  and  an  affectionate  and  har- 
monious intercourse  would  be  established  among  all  the 
churches  of  the  saints. 

These,  and  a  thousand  other  evils,  which  now  render 
this  world  a  vast  wiUierness  of  perturbation,  wretched- 
ness, and  sorrow,  would  be  completely  eradicated,  were 
the  principle  of  holy  love  in  incessant  operation  ;  and,  in 
their  place,  a  scene  of  loveliness  and  moral  beauty  would 
burst  upon  the  view,  which  would  diff'use  joy  and  extatic 
delight  through  every  bosom. 

Every  family  would  become  a  mansion  of  peace  and 
love — a  temple  consecrated  to  the  God  of  heaven,  from 
which  the  incense  of  prayer,  and  praise,  and  pious  aspi- 
rations, would  daily  ascend,  in  sweet  memorial,  to  the 
throne  above.  Domestic  broils  and  contentions  would 
cease  ;  brothers  and  sisters  would  be  cemented  in  the 
closest  bonds  of  holy  afffection ;  the  law  of  kindness 
would  swell  their  hearts  and  dwell  upon  their  tongues  ; 
serenity  and  joy,  and  a  desire  to  please,  would  appear  on 
every  countenance ;  a  mutual  exchange  of  sentiment 
and  generous  aff'ections  would  circulate  joy  from  father 
to  son,  and  from  children  to  parents ;  and  all  the  members 
of  the  family  circle,  animated  by  the  same  benevolent 
spirit,  would  "  dwell  together  in  unity."  To  communi- 
cate useful  knowledge,  to  train  each  other  to  piety  and 
virtue,  to  point  out  the  diffferent  spheres  in  which  benev- 
olence should  act  ;   to    assist   in    every  kindly  office  ;    to 


140  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

sootli  each  other  in  distress,  and  to  direct  each  other  in 
tlie  path  to  an  endless  life,  would  be  the  unceasing  de- 
sire and  endeavour  of  every  inmate  of  the  family  man- 
sion. From  every  such  mansion,  the  radiations  of  love 
would  fly  from  family  to  family,  from  one  hamlet  and  vil- 
lage to  another,  from  one  town  and  city  to  another,  from 
one  nation  to  another,  and  from  one  continent  to  another, 
till  all  the  families  of  the  earth  were  converted  into  "  the 
dwellings  of  the  God  of  Jacob." 

In  larger  communities  the  principle  of  love  would  eflfec- 
tuate  a  mighty  change.  That  spirit  of  jealousy  and  selfish- 
ness, of  avarice  and  monopoly,  which  now  produces  so 
many  jarrings,  contentions,  and  collisions  of  interests 
among  town  councils,  corporations,  and  other  smaller  asso- 
ciations, would  cease  to  operate.  Every  one  would  see  and 
feel^  that  the  prosperity  of  the  whole  is  also  the  prosperity 
of  every  portion  of  the  general  community.  Boisterous  dis- 
putations, sneers,  hisses,  reproaches,  and  angry  passions, 
would  be  banished  from  the  deliberations  of  every  society ; 
and  candour,  good-will,  and  kindly  affections,  would  ani- 
mate the  minds  of  all  its  members.  Righteous  laws  would 
be  enacted,  and  distributive  justice  equitably  administered. 
Every  nation  would  form  one  great  and  harmonious  fami- 
ly ;  all  its  members  being  linked  together  by  the  ties  of 
kindness  and  reciprocal  affection.  Its  magistrates  would 
become  "  nursing  fathers"  to  the  whole  body  of  the  peo- 
ple, to  promote  tlieir  peace,  their  domestic  comfort,  their 
knowledge,  and  their  general  improvement  ;  and  through- 
out all  ranks  of  the  community,  nothing  would  appear  but 
submission,  obedience,  reverence,  and  respect. 

The  mutual  intercourse  of  nations  would  be  established 
on  the  principles  of  friendship  and  affection,  and  on  the 
basis  of  immutable  justice  and  eternal  truth.  Raised 
above  petty  jealousies,  secure  from  the  alarms  of  war,  and 
viewing  each  other  as  branches  of  the  same  great  family, 
and  as  children  of  the  same  Almighty  Parent, — every  na- 
tion and  empire  would  feel  an  interest  in  promoting  the 
prosperity  of  another,  and  would  rejoice  in  beholding  its 
happiness  and  improvement.  Commerce  would  be  free 
and  unshackled,  and  the  productions  of  nature  and  of  art 
would  quickly  be  transported  into  every  nation,  from  eve- 
ry clime.      Travellers   and  navigators  would  visit  foreign 


EFFECTS    OF    BENEVOLENCE.  141 

shores,  without  danger  or  alarm  from  insidious  or  hostile 
tribes,  and  would  land  on  the  most  obscure  island  of  the 
ocean,  fully  assured  of  protection  and  comfort,  and  the 
welcome  of  friendship  and  affection.  Every  vessel  that 
ploughed  the  deep  would  become  a  Hoating  temple,  from 
which  incense  and  a  pure  offering  would  daily  ascend  to 
the  Ruler  of  the  skies  ;  and  its  mariners  would  join,  with 
one  heart  and  one  mind,  in  imploring  upon  each  other  the 
blessing  and  protection  of  the  God  of  heaven.  The  beams 
of  love  and  affection  would  gladden  every  land,  and  add  a 
new  lustre  to  the  natural  beauties  of  its  landscape.  The 
inhabitants  of  China  and  Japan  would  be  hailed  as  bene- 
factors when  they  arrived  on  our  coasts  with  their  cargoes 
of  tea,  sugar,  silk  and  porcelain  ;  and  the  natives  of  France 
and  Great- Britain,  when  they  transported  their  manufac- 
tures to  these  distant  empires,  would  be  welcomed  as 
friends,  and  conducted,  without  the  least  jealousy  or  sus- 
picion, through  all  their  cities  and  rural  scenes,  to  sui-vey 
the  beauties  of  nature  and  art  with  which  those  countries 
are  adorned.  The  natives  of  Papua  and  New-Zealand 
would  land  on  our  shores,  without  spears  or  darts,  or  oth- 
er hostile  weapons,  and  be  recognized  as  friends  and  breth- 
ren ;  and  our  countrymen,  when  traversing  the  different 
regions  of  the  globe,  would  always  meet  with  a  cordial  re- 
ception when  landing  on  their  coasts.  For,  national  jeal- 
ousies and  antipathies  would  cease  ;  and,  instead  of  selfish 
and  revengeful  passions,  reason  would  be  cultivated,  and  its 
powers  expanded  ;  the  smile  of  benevolence  and  the  hand 
of  beneficence  would  gladden  the  inhabitants  of  every 
clime,  and  "  righteousness  and  praise  would  spring  forth 
before  all  the  nations." 

Under  the  benignant  influence  of  the  spirit  of  love, 
useful  intelligence  of  every  description  would  be  rapid- 
ly and  extensively  communicated  ;  the  sciences  would  be 
improved,  and  carried  forward  to  perfection  ;  the  jealous- 
ies which  now  exist  amoag  scientific  men  would  cease 
to  operate,  and  every  fact  on  which  science  is  built  would 
be  impartially  investigated,  and  exhibited  in  its  true  as- 
pect ;  the  arts  would  flourish,  and  be  carried  to  the  high- 
est pitch  of  improvement ;  no  secrets  in  arts  or  trades 
would  be  locked  up  in  the  breast  of  the  discoverer ;  but 
12* 


142  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

every  useful  hint  would  at  once  be   communicated  to   the 
public  ;  every  'invention   would    uniformly   be   applied   to 
the  promotion  of  a  benevolent  object,   and  the  arts   of  de- 
struction would  cease  to  be  cultivated,  and  be  held  in  uni- 
versal detestation.     Under  the    hand  of  art  the  habitations 
of  men  would  be  beautified  and   adorned,  to  correspond 
with  the  purity  and  improvement  of  their  moral  leelings, 
and  a  new  lustre  would   be  thrown  over    the  face  of  na- 
ture :    Towns  and  villages  would  be   built  on    spacious 
plans,  divested  of  all  that  gloom  and  filth  which  now  dis- 
grace the   abodes  of  millions  of  human  beings,  and  which 
form  an   emblem  of   their  physical  and  moral    wretched- 
ness ;  and  the  landscape  of  every  country  would  present 
a  scene    of  grandeur,  fertility,    and   picturesque  beauty : 
Those  immense  treasures  which  have  been  so  long  expended 
in  the  arts  of  war  and  devastation  would  be  employed  in 
turning  immense  deserts  into  fruitful  fields,  in  beautifying 
the  aspect  of  rural  nature,  in  planting  orchards   and  vine- 
yards,  in  forming  spacious  roads,   in  establishing   semina- 
ries of  instruction,  in  erecting  comfortable  habitations   for 
the  lower  orders  of  society,  and  promoting  their  domestic 
enjoyment.       What  an  immense  variety  of  objects  of  this 
description    would    be    accomplished   within   the  limits  of 
Great  Britain  by  means  of  a  thousand  millions  of  pounds, 
which  we  all  know   have  been  lately  expended,  within  the 
space  of  twenty-four  years,  in  carrying  forward  the  work 
of  destruction  ! 

Under  the  influence  of  the  reign  of  love,  the  instruction 
of  all  ranks,  in  every  department  of  useful  knowledge, 
would  be  rapidly  promoted  ;  ignorance  and  error,  with 
all  their  attendant  evils,  would  soon  evanish  from  the 
minds  even  of  the  lowest  orders  of  society ;  seminaries 
would  be  erected,  and  established  on  a  liberal  basis,  for 
instructing  every  class  of  mankind  in  all  those  branches 
of  science  which  tend  to  expand  the  capacity  of  the  hu- 
man mind,  and  to  extend  the  range  of  its  contemplations  ; 
the  hours  of  active  labour  would  be  abridged,  in  order 
that  they  might  have  leisure  for  the  cultivation  of  their 
understanding,  and  the  exercise  of  their  moral  powers. 
To  add  to  their  stock  of  knowledge,  and  to  increase  the 
sura  of  happiness  around  them,  would  be  considered  as 
interesting  and  as  delightful  as  it  now  is  to  the  sons  of 


EFFECTS    OF    BElblVOLENCE.  143 

Mammon  to  "  add  house  to  house,  and  field  to  field," 
and  to  riot  on  the  gains  of  avarice :  Societies  would  be 
formed  for  mutual  improvement  in  knowledge  and  virtue, 
lectures  delivered  on  every  interesting  and  useful  subject, 
experiments  performed  to  illustrate  the  order  and  meclian- 
ism  of  nature,  and  instruments  of  every  description  pro- 
cured for  exhibiting  the  wisdom  and  omnipotence  of  the 
Creator,  and  the  glories  of  the  universe  :  The  revelation 
of  heaven  would  be  studied  with  intelligence  in  all  its 
aspects  and  bearings,  and  every  passion,  aftection  and 
active  exertion,  would  be  directed  by  its  moral  requisitions. 
The  human  mind  thus  trained  and  carried  forward  in 
wisdom  and  holiness,  would  shed  a  moral  radiance  around 
it,  and  be  gradually  prepared  for  entering  on  a  higher 
scene  of  contemplation  and  enjoyment. 

Among  all  ranks  of  men,  a  spirit  of  selfishness  and  av- 
arice would  be   extinguished,  and,  in  its  stead,  a  spirit  of 
noble  generosity  and  beneficence  would  pervade  the  whole 
mass  of  society.     That  divine  maxim  inculcated   by  our 
Saviour  "  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive^''''  would 
be  engraven  on  every  heart,  and  appear  in  every  action. 
This  sublime  principle  forms  a  prominent  trait  in  the  cha- 
racter of  God,  and  in  all  his  arrangements  towards  his  crea- 
tures ;  and  it  animates  the  minds  of  superior  intelligences, 
in  their  associations  with  each  other,  and  in  their  occasion- 
al intercourses  with  the  inhabitants  of  our  world.     In  im- 
itation of  these  glorious   beings,  the  human  race   would 
consider    it    as    the    grand    end   of  their    existence,    not 
merely  to  acquire  wealth,  knowledge,  or  power,  but  to  era- 
ploy  themselves  in  the  unceasing  diffusion  of  beneficence 
to  all  around.     To  communicate  happiness  throughout  all 
the  ranks  of  their  fellow-men    with   whom  they  mingle, 
to    sooth    the    disconsolate    and    the    desponding,  to    re- 
lieve the  distressed,  to  instruct  the  ignorant,  to   expand 
the  intellect,   to  animate  and  direct  the  benevolent  affec- 
tions, to  increase  the  enjoyments  of  the  lower  orders  of 
the    community,     to    direct    the   opening   minds   of   the 
young,  to  lead  them  by  gentle    steps  into    the  paths  of 
wisdom    and   holiness,    and    to    promote    every    schenae 
which  has  a  relation  to  the  public  good,  would   form  the 
constant  aim  of  all  conditions  of  men  from  the  highest  to 
the  lowest.     Every  house  would  be  open  to  the  weary  and 


144  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF  RELIGION. 

benighted  traveller,  every  heart  would  welcome  hirn  to 
the  refreshments  and  repose  it  aflbrded,  every  counte- 
nance would  beam  benignity,  every  comfort  v.ould  be 
afforded,  every  wish  anticipated,  and  every  stranger 
thus  entertained,  would  *'  bless  the  mansion,"  and  im- 
plore the  benediction  of  heaven  on  all  its  inmates.  I'he 
houseless  child  of  want  would  no  longer  wander  amidst 
scenes  of  plenty,  tattered  and  forlorn,  pinched  with 
poverty,  exposed  to  the  piercing  blasts,  and  obliged 
to  repose  under  the  open  canopy  of  heaven,  for  want 
of  more  comfortable  shelter ;  the  poor  would  soon  cea^e 
out  of  the  land,  every  one  would  be  active  and  industri- 
ous, and  every  one  would  enjoy  a  comfortable  portion  of 
the  bounties  of  Providence.  And  what  a  happy  world 
would  it  be  weie  kindness  and  affection  the  characteristic 
of  all  its  inhabitants  !  The  face  of  nature  would  wear  a 
more  cheering  aspect,  "  the  desert  would  rejoice  and  blos- 
som as  the  rose,"  the  flowers  would  look  more  gay,  the 
"little  hills"  would  be  encircled  with  joy,  the  light  of  hea- 
ven would  appear  more  glorious  and  transporting,  a  thou- 
sand delightful  emotions  would  spring  up  in  the  jnind  amidst 
every  rural  scene,  and  every  social  intercourse  would  be 
a  source  of  unmingled  bliss  ;  Paradise  would  be  restored, 
heaven  would  descend  to  earth,  and  an  emblem  would  be 
presented  of  the  joys  of  the  blessed  above. 

O  blissful  and  auspicious  era !  When  wilt  thou  arrive, 
to  still  the  restless  agitation  of  malignant  passions,  to 
promote  peace  on  earth  and  good  will  among  men  ?  When 
will  the  benevolence  of  angels  and  archangels  descend 
to  dwell  with  man  upon  earth,  to  expel  selfisimess  from 
the  human  breast,  to  hush  every  disordered  affection,  and 
to  restore  tranquillity  and  order  among  the  bewilder- 
ed race  of  Adam  ?  When  will  the  spirit  of  love,  in 
all  its  beneficent  energies,  descend  from  the  Father  of 
light,  to  arrest  the  convulsions  of  nations,  to  heal  the 
wounds  of  suffering  humanity,  to  transform  fields  of 
•laughter  into  regions  of  tranquillity,  to  soften  the  ferocious 
tempers  of  "  the  people  who  delight  in  war,"  to  unite, 
in  one  holy  and  harmonious  society,  men  of  every  lan- 
guage and  of  every  tribe? — Not  till  Christianity  shall 
have  shed  its  benign  influence  on  every  land ;  not  till 
"  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  shall  cover  the  earth,"  and 


EFFECTS  OF    BENEVOLENCE.  145 

the  camions,  and  swords,  and  spears,  and  battle-axes  of  the 
warrior  shall  be  broken  to  shivers,  and  forged  into  plough- 
fehares  and  pruning  hooks.  "  Then  shall  the  wolf  dwell 
with  the  lamb,  and  the  leopard  shall  lie  down  Avith 
the  kid,  and  the  calf  and  the  young  lion  and  the  falling 
together,  and  a  little  child  shall  lead  them." — "  Then 
judgment  shall  dwell  in  the  wilderness,  and  righteous- 
ness in  the  fruitful  field.  And  the  work  of  righteous- 
ness shall  be  peace,  and  the  effect  of  righteousness  quiet- 
ness and  assurance  forever.  And  all  people  sliall  dwell 
in  peaceable  habitations,  and  in  sure  dwellings,  and  in 
quiet  resting  places." 

In  fine,  under  the  reign  of  love,  most  of  the  evils, 
both  physical  and  moral,  under  which  men  are  now  doom- 
ed to  suflTer,  would  be  either  greatly  mitigated  or  com- 
pletely abolished.  It  is  scarcely  too  much  to  affirm,  that 
nine-tenths  of  all  the  evils  that  affect  humanity,  are  the 
result  of  the  malice  and  unkindness  of  mankind  towards 
each  other.  If  all  the  sorrow  and  wretchedness  produc- 
ed by  fraud,  falsehood,  avarice,  extortion,  injustice,  op- 
pression, perjury,  seduction,  treachery,  litigations,  slander, 
pride,  ambition,  revenge,  robbery,  murder,  plunder,  and 
devastation,  were  extirpated, — little  would  remain  besides 
the  incidental  evils  which  occasionally  flow  from  the  ele- 
ments of  nature.  And  even  these  would  be  greatly  mit- 
igated by  the  benevolent  operations  of  art,  directed  by 
the  discoveries  of  science.  By  clearing  the  surface  of 
the  globe  of  immense  forests,  by  draining  stagnant  marsh- 
es, and  by  the  universal  cultivation  and  improvement  of 
the  soil,  the  seasons  would  be  meliorated,  and  storms  and 
tempests  would  be  deprived  of  their  wonted  violence 
and  fury ;  and  the  partial  physical  evils  which  still  re- 
mained, would  be  almost  annihilated  to  the  sufferer,  by 
the  sympathy  and  tenderness,  and  the  kind  and  fostering 
hand  of  universal  benevolence.  Where  virtue,  temper- 
ance, serenity  of  mind,  and  social  joy,  reigned  trium- 
phant, and  where  none  of  the  ghastly  phantoms  of  scep- 
ticism and  superstition  haunted  the  mind,  disease  would 
seldom  invade  the  human  frame  ;  the  span  of  mortal  ex- 
istence would  be  extended;  death  would  become  calm 
and  tranquil,  and  every  one  would  "  come  to  his  grave, 
like  as  a  shock  of  corn  cometh  in  in  his  season,"  In  short, 
under  the  influence  of  the  emanations  of  love,  malignity 


146  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

would  be  transformed  into  benevolence,  vice  into  virtue, 
oppres'oion  into  justice,  cruelty  into  sympathy  and  tender- 
ness, selfishness  into  beneficence,  contention  into  unity 
and  friendship,  fraud  into  honesty,  avarice  into  generosi- 
ty, pride  into  humihty,  wretchedness  into  comfort,  sor- 
row into  joy,  war  into  peace,  and  this  spacious  globe, 
now  the  receptacle  of  misery  and  vice,  would  be  trans- 
formed into  the  temple  of  concord,  happiness  and  peace. 

Such  are  some  of  the  beneficial  effects  which  would  be 
experienced  in  the  social  state  of  the  human  race,  were  a 
principle  of  benevolence  to  pervade  the  minds  of  man- 
kind. The  immense  mass  of  moral  evils  under  which  the 
earth  now  groans,  would  be  removed,  the  moral  aspect  of 
society,  in  every  nation,  would  assume  a  new  lustre  of 
loveliness  and  excellence,  and  nature  herself  would  be 
arrayed  in  new  robes  of  gracefulness  and  beauty.  For 
it  would  be  easy  to  show,  were  it  at  all  necessary,  that 
every  particular  now  stated,  and  a  thousand  similar  effects, 
would  be  the  natural  and  necessaiy  results  of  love,  when  it 
becomes  the  main  spring  of  human  actions. 

I  shall  now  shortly  trace  some  of  the  eff*ects  of  love, 
considered  as  directed  more  immediately  towards  God. 

Supreme  love  to  God  would  excite  complacency  in  his 
character  and  perfections ;  and  piety,  in  all  its  fervent  and 
delightful  emotions,  would  naturally  flow  upwards  to  the 
fountain  of  all  purity.  His  glorious  character  would  be 
venerated,  and  his  name  revered  over  all  the  earth ;  tro- 
phies would  be  erected  to  his  honour,  and  temples  conse- 
crated to  his  worship  in  every  land.  Crowds  of  worship- 
pers, beaming  benignity  and  devotion,  would  be  beheld  in 
every  region,  converging  towards  the  •'  dwelling-place"" 
of  tire  Most  High,  and  encouraging  one  another  in  such 
language  as  this,  "  Come  ye,  and  let  us  go  up  to  the  moun- 
tain of  the  Lord,  to  the  house  of  the  God  of  Jacob,  and  he 
will  teach  us  of  his  ways,  and  we  will  walk  in  his  paths." 
With  enlightened  views  of  the  attributes  of  Jehovah,  with 
glowing  affections,  and  with  profound  reverence,  would 
they  join  in  the  sublime  exercises  of  the  sanctuary,  and 
listen  to  the  intimations  of  his  will.  All  voices  would  be 
tuned  to  melodious  strains,  and  the  solemn  organ,  and 
those  instruments  of  music  which  are  now  devoted  to 
the  gratification    of  the   sons    of  fashionable    folly    aiul 


EFFECTS    OF    BENEVOLENCE.  147 

dissipation,  would  harmonize  in  exciting  devotional  affec- 
tions, and  in  swelling  the  song  of  salvation  "  to  Him  who 
sits  upon  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb  who  hath  redeem- 
ed us  to  God  by  his  blood."  Every  landscape,  in  ev- 
ery point  of  view,  would  present  a  noble  edifice  devoted 
to  the  worship  of  the  God  of  Heaven,  adorned  with  every 
majestic  decoration  suitable  to  its  sanctity,  and  rearing 
its  spacious  dome  above  all  the  surrounding  habitations 
of  men.  Its  gates  "  would  be  open  continually  ;  they 
would  not  be  shut  day  nor  night,"  that  men  might  have 
access  at  all  seasons  to  bring  "  incense  and  a  pure  offer- 
ing" to  the  shrine  of  Jehovah.  The  whole  earth  would 
soon  be  converted  into  one  universal  temple,  sacred 
to  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  from 
which,  thanksgiving  and  the  voice  of  melody,  and  the  holy 
aspirations  of  gratitude  and  love  would  ascend  to  heaven 
without  intermission,  and  in  every  direction,  from  the  re- 
gions of  the  north  to  the  regions  of  the  south,  and  "  from 
the  rising  of  the  sun  to  the  going  down  of  the  same." 
Solemn  seasons  would  be  appointed,  and  spacious 
plains  consecrated  for  the  assembling  of  ten  thousands  of 
"  the  sons  of  God,"  not  for  carnage  and  devastation,  as 
when  the  warrior  "  mustereth  the  armies  to  the  battle," 
but  "  to  rehearse  the  mighty  acts  of  the  Lord,"  to  ex- 
change sentiments  and  feelings  of  affectionate  regard,  and 
to  swell  the  song  of  triumph  over  sin  and  misery,  with  the 
harmony  of  human  voices  and  musical  instruments,  in  one 
loud  chorus  to  the  skies.  Then  the  name  of  Jehovah 
would  be  One  throughout  all  the  earth.  "  All  his  works 
would  praise  him,  and  his  saints  w^ould  bless  him.  They 
would  abundantly  utter  the  memory  of  his  great  goodness, 
they  would  speak  of  the  glorious  honour  of  his  majesty, 
and  sing  of  his  righteousness." 

Among  all  ranks  of  men  cordial  submission  to  the  will 
of  God,  and  contentment  under  the  arrangements  of  his 
providence  would  be  uniformly  manifested.  Every  one 
would  consider  the  situation  in  which  Providence  had 
placed  him  as  the  best  possible  for  promoting  his  present 
improvement  and  his  future  felicity,  viewing  it  as  the  al- 
lotment of  infinite  wisdom  and  benevolence.  In  adversity 
he  would  sustain  his  afflictions  with  patience,  and  derive 
from   them  "  the   peaceable  fruits  of  righteousness."     la 


148  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

prosperity  he  would  acknowledge  God  as  the  source  of 
all  his  enjoyments,  and  devote  the  wealth  and  influence 
he  possessed  to  the  promotion  of  religion,  and  the  best  in- 
terests of  his  fellow-men.  By  day,  and  by  night,  and  at 
every  returning  season,  the  overflowings  of  gratitude,  in 
every  heart,  would  burst  fortli  in  songs  of  thanksgiving  to 
the  Giver  of  all  good.  Every  comfort  would  be  recogniz- 
ed as  "  coming  down  from  the  Father  of  lights,"  and  ev- 
ery pleasing  sensation  produced  by  the  scenery  of  nature, 
as  the  result  of  his  wisdom  and  beneficence.  His  won- 
derful works,  which  are  now  overlooked,  or  gazed  at  with 
apathy  by  nine-tenths  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  globe, 
would  be  contemplated  with  enlightened  understandings, 
and  with  emotions  of  reverence,  admiration  and  delight. 
The  majestic  movements  of  the  planetary  orbs,  the  glories 
of  the  starry  sky,  the  light  beaming  from  a  thousand  suns 
through  the  immeasurable  voids  of  space,  the  mighty 
ocean  with  all  its  wonders,  the  numerous  rivers  rolling  in- 
to its  abyss,  the  lofty  ranges  of  mountains  which  encircle 
the  earth,  the  treasures  of  the  fields,  the  riches  of  the 
mines,  the  beauties  which  adorn  the  hills  and  plains, 
the  woaders  of  the  atmosphere,  the  admirable  structure 
and  economy  of  the  numerous  tribes  of  animated  be- 
ings,— these,  and  thousands  of  other  objects,  considered 
as  manifestations  of  the  attributes  of  Deity,  would  supply 
topics  of  conversation  in  every  social  circle,  on  which  ev- 
ery heart  would  dwell  with  increasing  delight.  "  They 
would  speak  of  the  glory  of  his  kingdom,  and  talk  of  his 
power,  to  make  known  to  the  sons  of  men  his  mighty 
acts,  and  the  glorious  majesty  of  his  kingdom."  The 
work  of  human  redemption,  in  its  origin  and  progress,  in 
its  connexions  and  bearings,  in  the  lustre  it  reflects  on  the 
perfections  of  the  Deity,  in  its  relation  to  the  angelic  tribes, 
and  in  its  glorious  and  happy  consequences  on  thousand? 
of  millions  of  human  beings  throughout  an  ©ternal 
round  of  existence — the  person  of  the  Redeemer,  his 
amiable  character,  his  grace  and  condescension,  and  the 
glories  of  his  exalted  state — the  joys  of  departed  sstints, 
the  general  resurrection,  with  all  its  solemn  and  trans- 
porting scenes,  the  new  heavens  and  the  new  earth,  and 
the  boundless  scene  of  grandeur  and  fehcity  which  will 
•open  to  the  view  when   death  shall  be   swallowed  up  in 


EFFECTS    OF    BENEVOLENCE.  149 

victory,  and  all  things  subjected  to  the  moral  order  of  the 
universe,  would  afford  subjects  of  sublime  contemplation, 
and  themes  for  social  converse,  on  which  enlightened 
and  renovated  minds  would  expatiate  with  ever-growing 
improvement,  and  ever-growing  pleasures. 

The  providential  dispensations  of  God  towards  the  hu- 
man race,  would  form  another  subject  of  investigation, 
which  would  be  prosecuted  with  feelings  of  astonishment, 
admiration  and  reverence.  The  history  of  all  nations 
would  be  carefully  perused — not  for  the  purpose  of  admir- 
ing the  exploits  of  mighty  conquerors  and  barbarous  he- 
roes, and  feasting  the  imagination  on  spectacles  of  human 
slaughter  and  devastation — but  for  exciting  abhorrence  of 
those  depraved  passions  which  had  drenched  the  earth  with 
blood — for  drawing  forth  the  tear  of  pity  over  the  graves 
of  slaughtered  nations — for  stimulating  the  exercise  of 
those  holy  affections  which  restored  peace  and  tranquillity 
to  the  world — for  acquiring  a  display  of  the  rectitude  of 
the  moral  character  of  God,  and  the  equity  of  his  adminis- 
tration among  the  nations — for  tracing  the  accomplish- 
ment of  divine  predictions — for  illustrating  the  long-suffer- 
ing and  forbearance  of  God,  and  for  exciting  admiration 
of  that  inscrutable  wisdom  by  which  the  whole  train  of 
events  was  conducted,  so  as  to  set  restraining  bounds 
to  the  wrath  of  man,  and  to  make  it  subservient  to  the 
introduction  of  the  reign  of  happiness  and  peace.  In  all 
the  revolutions  of  past  ages,  and  in  all  the  events  that 
daily  passed  in  review  before  them,  they  would  uni- 
formly recognize  the  agency  and  the  purposes  of  that  Al- 
mighty Being  "  who  doth  according  to  his  will  in  the  ar- 
mies of  heaven,  and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  eartli," 
and  who  is  carrying  forward  all  the  plans  of  his  govern- 
ment to  a  glorious  consummation. 

Every  useful  invention,  every  new  instrument  for  in- 
vestigating the  operations  of  nature,  every  new  discovery 
in  the  earth,  or  in  the  heavens,  every  exploration  of  an 
unknown  region  of  the  globe,  every  branch  of  commerce 
and  manufacture,  every  new  mode  of  facilitating  labour 
and  improving  the  productions  of  the  soil  ;  every  improve- 
ment in  the  ease  and  rapidity  of  travelling,  and  of  convey- 
ing intelligence  from  one  region  to  another,  an-d  every 
art  and  science,  would  be  consecrated,  in  some  form  or 
13 


150  THE  PHILOSOPHY   OF    RELIGION. 

Other,  to  the  service  of  God,  and  to  the  accomplishment  of 
the  objects  of  general  benevolence.  One  grand  diffusive 
principle,  manifesting  itself  in  numberless  ramifications, 
would  pervade  the  whole  mass  of  society  ;  and  one  grand 
aim,  the  honour  and  glory  of  the  Creator,  and  the  univer- 
sal diffusion  of  happiness  in  every  direction,  and  among 
every  rank  of  sentient  and  intelligent  beings,  would  be 
the  unceasing  endeavour  of  men  of  all  nations,  and  kin- 
dreds and  languages.  The  whole  mass  of  this  world's 
inhabitants  would  appear  like  one  vast  celestial  army 
marching  forward  in  harmony  to  the  regions  of  bliss,  ev- 
ery one,  in  his  appointed  order,  passing  in  peace  and 
tranquillity  through  the  gates  of  death,  to  join  the  general 
assembly  above,  and  to  augment  and  enliven  the  congre- 
gation of  the  heavens. 

On  such  a  world  the  God  of  heaven  would  look  down 
with  complacency  and  his  providential  care  would   be  ex- 
ercised in  averting  those  physical  evils  which  now  increase 
the  moral  wretchedness  of  mankind.     His  eye  would  be 
continually  upon  them  for  good,  and  his  ear  would  be  ever 
open    to  their  requests.     Then    that  glorious    scene   pre- 
sented to  the  view  of  the  apostle  Jk»hn,  would  be   fully  re- 
alized,— "   Behold  the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,  and 
he  will  dwell  with  them  ;  and   they  shall  be  his  people, 
and   God  himself  shall  be  with  them,  and    be   their  God. 
And  God  shall  wipe  away    all  tears  from  their  eyes,  and 
there  shall  be  no   more  curse,  neither  sorrow  nor  crying, 
neither  shall  there  be  any  more  pain  ;  for  the  former  things 
have  passed  away."     To  sucli  a  world  celestial  messen- 
gers would  rejoice  to  wing  their  downward  flight,  on  mes- 
sages  of  love.     Their  visits,  which  have  been  "  few,  and 
far  between,"  and  which  have  been  long  interrupted  by 
the  malevolence  of  men,  would  be   again   resumed  ;  and 
those  "  morning  stars"  that  shouted  for  joy  wlien  this  fair 
creation  arose  into  existence,  would  be   tilled  with  unutter- 
able delight  when  they  beheld  moral   order  restored,  and 
the  smiles  of  universal  love  irradiating  the  inhabitants  of 
our  globe,  and  would  shout  even   with  more   extatic  joy 
than  they  did  before,  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  peace 
on  earth,  and  good  will  among  men  !" 

Alas  '.  such  a  picture  as  that  which  we  have  now  faintly 
sketched,  has  never  yet  been  realized   in  the  moral  as- 


EFFECTS    OF    BENEVOLENCE.  151 

pect  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  world.  To  the  eye  of  an  an- 
trelic  intelligence,  while  he  hovers  over  our  globe  in  his 
liiwht  through  the  planetary  regions,  nothing  appears  but  a 
vast  cloud  of  moral  darkness  and  depravity,  with  here  and 
there  only  a  few  faint  radiations  of  truth  and  love  eaierg- 
hw  from  the  general  gloom.  He  beholds  throughout  the 
whole  extent  of  Africa,  from  the  shores  of  Barbary  and 
Egypt  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope — throughout  tlie  vast  re- 
gions of  Asia  and  its  numerous  islands,  and  throughout 
four-fifths  of  the  continent  of  America,  little  else  than  one 
wide  scene  of  moral  desolation,  v/here  idolatry  and  super- 
stition, tyranny  and  ambition,  treachery  and  cruelty,  war 
and  dissension  reign  triumphant  among  almost  every  tribe  ; 
and  where  scarcely  a  single  ray  of  divine  light  and  divine 
love,  gilds  the  horizon,  from  the  one  end  of  these  extensive 
regions  to  the  other.  Even  in  Europe,  where  the  light 
of  science  and  of  Revelation  is  converged  to  a  focus,  what 
an  immense  cloud  of  moral  darkness  still  appears  envelop- 
ing its  population  ?  The  fields  of  Waterloo,  of  Leipsic,  of 
Borodina,  and  of  Smolensko,  w^here  so  many  thousands  of 
human  beings  were  sacrificed  to  the  demon  of  war — the 
vales  of  Switzerland  and  Hungary,  the  plains  of  France 
and  Italy,  the  anarchy  and  commotions  of  Spain  and  Por- 
tugal, and  the  ensanguined  shores  of  Turkey  and  Greece, 
where  massacres  have  been  perpetrated  with  the  rage  and 
fury  of  infernal  demons,  bear  witness  to  the  melancholy 
fact,  that  hatred  and  malignity  still  hold  the  ascendency 
over  the  nations  of  Europe,  and  over  all  the  efforts  of  be- 
nevolence and  love. 

But,  we  trust,  that  the  period  is  fast  approaching,  when 
the  breath  of  a  new  spirit  shall  pervade  the  inhabitants  of 
every  clime,  and  when  holy  }ove  shall  unite  all  the  tribes  of 
mankind  in  one  harmonious  society.  When  the  messen- 
gers of  the  Prince  of  Peace  "  shall  run  to  and  fro"  from  the 
north  to  the  south,  and  from  the  rising  to  tlie  setting  sun  ; 
when  the  sound  of  the  gospel-trumpet  sliall  re-echo  through- 
out every  land ;  when  the  light  of  Divine  Revelation  shall 
diffuse  its  radiance  on  the  benighted  nations  ;  when  its 
sublime  doctrines  and  moral  requisitions  shall  be  fully  un- 
derstood and  recognized  in  all  their  practical  bearings,  and 
when  the  energy  of  that  Almighty  Spirit  which  reduced 
to  light  and  order,  the   dark  and  shapeless  chaos,  shall  be 


152  THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  RELIGION. 

exerted  on  the  depraved  and  benighted  minds  of  the  mass 
of  this  world's  population — then  the  death-like  slumber 
which  has  seized  upon  the  race  of  Adam  shall  he  broken  ; 
the  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins  shall  awake  to  new  life 
and  activity ;  this  bedlam  of  the  universe  will  be  restored 
to  reason  and  intellectual  freedom,  and  to  the  society  of 
angelic  messengers,  and  the  face  of  the  moral  creation 
will  be  renewed  after  the  image  of  its  Maker.  Then 
wars  shall  cease  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and  anarchy  and 
dissension  shall  convulse  the  nations  no  more  ;  violence 
will  no  more  be  heard  in  any  land,  "  liberty  will  be  pro- 
claimed to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of  the  prison- 
doors  to  them  that  are  bound."  The  spirit  of  malevolence 
will  be  vanquished,  its  power  Avill  be  broken,  and  its  ope- 
rations demolished.  The  order  and  beauty  of  the  celestial 
system  will  be  restored.  "  Holiness  to  the  Lord"  will  be 
inscribed  I  on  all  the  implements  and  employments  of 
mankind.  Kindness  and  compassion  will  form  the 
amiable  characteristic  of  every  rank  of  social  life.  Love 
will  spread  her  benignant  wings  over  the  globe,  and  reign 
uncontrolled  in  the  hearts  of  all  its  inhabitants.  For  thus 
saith  the  voice  of  Him  who  sits  on  the  throne  of  the  uni- 
verse, "  Behold  I  make  all  things  new — I  create  new 
lieavens  and  a  new  earth,  and  the  former  shall  not  be  re- 
membered, nor  come  into  mind.  Be  ye  glad,  and  rejoice 
for  ever  in  that  which  I  create  ;  for  behold,  I  create  Jeru- 
salem a  rejoicing,  and  her  people  a  joy,  and  the  voice  of 
weeping  shall  be  no  more  heard  in  her,  nor  the  voice  of 
cryhi":." 


SECTION  VL 


Universality  of  the  principles  of  love  to  God,  ajid  tofrllov}- 
intelligences. 

The  grand  principles  of  morality  to  which  I  have  no\r 
adverted,  are  not  to  be  viewed  as  confined  merely  to  the 
inhabitants  of  our    globe,  but  as  extending   to  all  intcl- 


t'NiVERSALlTY    OF    THE   PRINCIPLT;    OF    LOVE.        153 

Icclual  beings.  They  Ibrm  tlie  basis  of  the  moral  laws, 
whicli  govern  all  intelligences  througliout  the  vast  universe, 
in  whatever  world  or  region  of  infinite  space  they  may 
have  their  physical  residence  :  and  they  constitute  the  bond 
which  unites  to  the  supreme  intelligence,  and  to  one  ano- 
ther, all  holy  beings,  wherever  existing  in  the  wide  empire 
of  Omnipotence.  This  will  at  once  appear,  if  we  reflect, 
for  a  moment,  on  what  has  been  stated  in  the  precedhig 
sections.  We  have  seen,  that,  if  those  laws  or  principles 
were  reversed,  and  were  the  moral  agents  of  our  world  to 
act  accordingly,  nothing  would  ensue,  but  anarchy,  wretch- 
edness, horror  and  devastation,  and  ultimately  a  complete 
extermination  of  the  race  of  mankind.  And,  by  parity 
of  reason,  it  will  follow,  that,  were  the  same  principles  io 
operate  in  any  other  world,  however  different  the  capac- 
ities, relations  and  physical  circumstances  of  its  in- 
habitants might  be,  similar  disastrous  effects  would  be 
the  inevitable  result ;  and  were  they  to  pervade  all  worlds, 
disorder  and  misery  would  reign  uncontrolled  throughout 
tlie  whole  intelligent  system. 

When  the  Creator  brought  any  particular  world  into  ex- 
istence, and  peopled  it  with  inhabitants,  we  nuist  suppose, 
that  the  laws  to  which  I  am  now  adverting,  were  either 
formally  addressed  to  them  by  some  external  revelation, 
or  so  powerl'uliy  impressed  upon  their  moral  constitution, 
as  to  become  the  main  spring  of  all  their  actions,  so 
long  as  the}^  might  retain  the  oiiginal  principles  im- 
planted in  their  minds  by  the  Author  of  their  exist- 
ence. Any  other  supposition  would  be  fraught  with  the 
most  absurd  and  horrible  consequences.  It  would  be  sub- 
versive of  every  idea  we  are  led  to  form  of  the  character 
of  the  Divine  Being,  inconsistent  with  the  perfect 
benevolence  and  rectitude  of  his  nature,  and  incompati- 
ble with  the  relations  in  which  rational  beings  stand 
to  Him  and  to  one  another,  and  with  the  harmoriy 
and  happiness  of  the  universe,  to  suppose,  that  any  ciea- 
tures  now  exist,  or  ever  can  exist,  to  whom  such  com- 
mands as  these  would  be  given, — "  Thou  shalt  hate  thy 
Creator,  M^ho  is  the  source  of  thine  existence ;"  and, 
"  Thou  shalt  Itate  all  thy  fellow-intelligences,  with  whom 
thou  mayest  associate."  And,  if  the  mind  would  recoil 
"with  horror,  at  the  idea  of  such  laws  issuing  forth  frona 
13* 


154  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF     RELIGION. 

the  throne  of  the  Eternal  to  any  class  of  moral  agent?, 
it  must  necessarily  be  admitted,  that  the  opposite  prin- 
ciples or  laws,  to  which  I  allude,  are  promulgated  to 
all  intelligences,  and  are  obligatory  on  every  inhabi- 
tant of  all  the  worlds  which  lie  within  the  range  of  Jeho- 
vah's empire.  The  natural  scenery  with  whicli  tlie  inhab- 
itants of  other  worlds  are  surronnded,  the  organization  of 
their  corporeal  frames,  the  intellectual  capacities  with 
which  they  are  endowed,  the  stated  employments  in  whicli 
they  engage,  and  the  relations  in  which  they  sland  to  eacli 
other,  may  be  very  different  from  those  which  obtain  in  our 
terrestrial  sphere  ;  but  the  grand  principles  to  which  I  re- 
fer, must  necessarily  pervade  every  faculty  of  their  minds, 
every  active  exertion,  and  every  relation  that  subsists 
among  them,  by  Miiatever  character  it  may  be  distinguish- 
ed, if  they  be  found  existing  in  a  state  of  happiness. 

The  moral  code  of  laws  in  other  worlds,  may  be  some- 
what differently  modified  from  ours,  according  to  the  circum- 
stances in  which  the  inhabhants  of  each  respective  world 
are  placed,  and  the  relations  which  obtain  among  them  : 
but  the  same  general  principles  will  run  tlnougli  every 
ramification  of  their  moral  precepts,  and  appear  in  the 
minutest  actions  they  perform,  as  the  sap  which  proceeds 
from  the  trunk  of  a  tree  difiuses  itself  among  the  mi- 
nutest and  the  most  distant  bianchcs.  The  seventh  com- 
mandment of  our  moral  code  can  have  no  place  in  a  world 
where  the  inhabitants  "  neither  marry  nor  are  given  in 
marriage  ;"  where  the  succession  of  intelligent  l)eings  is 
not  carried  on  by  any  process  analogous  to  human  gene- 
ration, where  death  is  unknown,  and  where  rational  agents 
have  a  fixed  and  permanent  abode.  'I'he  fifth  prece})t  of 
our  law  cannot  be  recognized  in  a  world  where  the  rela- 
tions of  parents  and  cliildren,  princes  and  subjects,  supe- 
riors and  inferiors  have  no  existence.  And  in  those 
worlds  where  the  bounties  of  Divine  Providence  are 
equally  enjoyed  by  all,  or  where  (external  comforts  are  not 
necessary  for  the  happiness  of  the  individual,  as  in  our 
world,  or  where  the  slighest  temptation  to  interfere  with 
the  property  of  another  does  not  exist,  there  will  be  no 
necessity  for  a  distinct  moral  regulation  corresponding  to* 
llie  eighth   conniiandment  of  our   moral    code.      But,  in 


UNIVERSALITY    OF    THE    PRINCIPLl^    OF    LOVE.  155 

every  world  where  happiness  exists,  and  where  the  inhabi- 
tants have  retained  their  original  integrity,  love  to  God, 
and  love  to  all  subordinate  intelligences  with  which  they 
are  connected,  will  animate  every  heart,  regulate  every 
desire,  and  run  through  'every  action.  And  in  those 
worlds  (if  any  such  exist  besides  our  own)  where  these 
principles  are  counteracted,  or  not  recognized  as  the  foun- 
dation of  moral  action,  misery  and  disorder,  in  a  greater  or 
less  degree,  must  be  the  inevitable  consequence. 

'i'he  greater  part,  however,  of  the  precepts  comprised 
in  the  moral  law  given  to  man,  must  be  considered  as  ob- 
ligatory upon  all  the  rational  inhabitants  of  the  universe. 
The  first  commandment,  which  forbids  the  recognition  of 
any  object  of  adoration,  or  of  supreme  allection,  besides 
the  eternal  Jehovah — the  second,  ■  which  forbids  the  repre- 
sentation of  this  incomprehensible  Being  by  any  visible 
or  material  objects — the  Udrd,  which  enjoins  reverence  of 
the  name  or  attributes  of  God — and  the  spirit  of  the 
fourth,  which  enjoins  a  certain  portion  of  duration  to  be 
set  apart  for  solemn  acts  of  worship  and  adoration, — are 
applicable  to  all  the  moral  agents  that  Jehovah  has  creat- 
ed. The  sixtli  commandment,  which  forbids  malice,  re- 
venge, and  injurious  actions  of  every  description — the 
ninth,  which  forbids  falsehood,  and  inculcates  trulh,  which 
is  the  basis  of  the  monal  universe — and  the  tenth,  which 
forbids  envy,  and  every  unhallowed  desire  to  deprive  our 
neighbour  of  any  portion  of  his  happiness — are  also  bind- 
ing upon  every  class  of  moral  intelligences,  wherever  ex- 
isting, throughout  the  unlimited  empire  of  God.  For,  if 
we  suppose  any  one  of  these  precepts  to  be  reversed,  and 
moral  agents  to  act  on  the  principle  of  this  subversion, 
their  moral  order  and  harmony  w^ould  be  interrupted,  and 
consequently,  their  happiness  destroyed.  For  example, 
let  the  law,  which  inculcates  truth,  be  supposed  to  be  uni- 
versally violated  among  any  class  of  rational  beings,  and 
instantly  all  improvement  in  wisdom  and  knowledge 
would  cease  ;  nothing  could  be  depended  upon  as  fact 
but  what  was  obvious  to  the  senses  of  every  individual ; 
social  compacts  would  be  dissolved  ;  a  mutual  repulsion 
w^ould  ensue,  and  every  social  affection  and  enjoyment 
Avould  be  unhinged  and  destroyed. 

By  overlooking  considerations  of  this  kind,  the  celebrat- 


^^S  THE    PillLOSOrJIY    OF    I5ELIGI0N. 

vd  Dr.  Chalmers,  in  liis  "  ])iscoiirses  on  the  Cliristian 
l^cvelatiou  viewed  in  connexion  with  Modern  Astrono- 
my,"' deprived  himself  of  an  importani  argnment  to  prove 
that  Christianity  is  not  conlincd  lo  this  sublunary  region. 
For,  as  it  is  the  great  object  olf  the  Christian  Kevelation 
to  bring  into  full  elfect,  in  all  their  practical  bearings,  the 
principles  I  have  been  endeavouring  to  illustrate,  and  as 
iliese  principles  must  be  interwoven  with  the  moral  code 
ol  all  woilds — it  follows,  that  the  spirit  and  essence  of  our 
religion  must  be  common  to  all  the  holy  inhabitants  of  the 
universe. 

From  what  has  been  now  stated  respecting  the  univer- 
sality of  the  principle  of  love,  the  following  conclusions 
may  be  deduced : — 

1.  That  the  man  in  whose  heart  this  principle  is  pre- 
dominant, and  whose  actions  are  directed  by  its  inlluence, 
i.s  qualified  for  associating  with  the  pure  iiitclligences  of 
all  worlds.  Were  we  transported  to  the  surface  of  the 
planet  Jupiter,  and  had  we  access  to  mingle  with  its  vast 
population  ;  or  were  we  conveyed  to  oiie  of  the  planets 
which  revolve  around  the  star  Sirius — if  the  inhabitants  of 
these  globes  have  retained  the  primeval  purity  of  their  na- 
tures, and  if  the  principle  of  love  reigned  supreme  in  our 
hearts,  we  should  be  assured  of  a  welcome  reception  from 
those  distant  intelligences,  and  be  qualified  to  mingle  Vv-jth 
them  in  their  adorations  of  our  common  Creator,  and  in 
all  their  affectionate  and  harmonious  intercourses.  We 
should  only  have  to  learn  the  mode  by  wliich  they  com- 
municate to  each  other  their  ideas  and  emotions.  Love 
would  form  the  basis  of  every  union,  and  amalgamate 
US  with  every  department  of  their  society.  AMih  plea- 
sure, and  with  the  most  endearing  aifection,  would  they 
point  out  to  us  the  peculiar  glories  of  the  world  they  in- 
habit, and  rehearse  the  liistory  of  the  Creator's  dispensa- 
tions in  that  portion  of  his  empire  ;  and  with  equal  plea- 
sure should  we  listen  to  the  instructions  whicli  flow  from 
the  lips  of  Benevolence,  and  survey  those  tiansporting  ob- 
jects and  arrangements  which  decorate  a  world  where  love 
pervades  the  breasts  of  all  its  inhabitants.  'J'o  visit  a  dis- 
tant world,  although  it  were  in  our  power,  wliere  the  in- 
habitants were  of  an  opposite  description,  could  aflbrd  no 
gratification   to   an   intelligent   and   benevolent    mind,  but 


UNIVERSALITY    OF    THE    PRINCIPLE    OF    LOVE.  157 

would  overwhelm  it  with  anguish  and  dismay.  What  en- 
joyment would  the  capacious  mind  of  a  pure  intelligence 
from  the  regions  of  the  constellation  Oiion^  derive  from 
visiting  a  world  inhabited  by  such  beings  as  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Nootka  Sound,  New  Guinea,  or  New  Zealand, 
where  the  moral  and  intellectual  principle  is  completely 
debased,  and  where  the  beauties  of  Nature  are  defaced 
with  interminable  forests,  and  marshes,  and  the  haunts  of 
beasts  of  prey  ?  He  would  be  filled  with  disappointment 
and  horror — he  might  drop  a  tear  of  pity  over  the  wretch- 
ed inhabitants  ;  but  he  would  soon  wing  his  flight  back  to 
a  more  delectable  region.  A  similar  disappointment  would 
be  felt,  were  an  inhabitant  of  our  world,  in  whose  mind 
hatred  and  cruelty,  avarice  and  ambition  reigned  without 
control, — to  be  conveyed  to  a  world  of  happiness  and 
love.  The  novel  scenes  of  beauty  and  grandeur  which 
would  burst  upon  his  sight  might  captivate  his  senses  for 
a  little ;  but  he  would  feel  no  enjoyment  in  the  exercise 
of  virtuous  affections  and  rapturous  adorations,  to  which 
he  was  never  accustomed;  he  would  find  no  objects  on 
which  to  gratify  his  cruel  and  ambitious  desires,  and  he 
would  be  glad  to  escape  from  the  abodes  of  affection  and 
bliss,  to  the  depraved  society  from  whence  he  came. 
Hence  we  may  learn,  that,  however  expansive  views  we 
may  have  acquired  of  the  range  of  the  Creator's  operations, 
and  of  the  immensity  of  worlds  which  are  diffused  through 
boundless  space,  and  however  ardent  desires  we  may  in- 
dulge of  visiting  the  distant  regions  of  creation,  we  never 
can  indulge  a  rational  hope  of  enjoying  such  a  privilege, 
were  it  possible,  unless  love  to  God  and  to  man  become  the 
predominant  disposition  of  our  minds.  For,  although  we 
were  invested,  by  the  Almighty,  with  corporeal  vehicles, 
capable  of  transporting  us  from  one  region  of  creation  to 
another,  with  the  most  rapid  motion,  we  could  enjoy  no 
solid  satisfaction,  while  we  remained  unqualified  for  rel- 
ishing the  exercises,  and  mingling  in  the  associations  of 
holy  intelligences.  In  every  happy  world  on  which  we 
alighted,  we  should  feel  ourselves  in  a  situation  similar  to 
that  of  a  rude  and  ignorant  boor,  were  he  conveyed  to  a 
palace,  and  introduced  into  an  assembly  of  courtiers  and 
princes. 

2.  Another    conclusion    deducible   from  this   subject  is, 
that,  by  virtue  of  this  grand  and   governing  principle,   man 


158  THE    PHILOSOPHY     OF    RELIGION. 

is  connected  with  the  highest  order  of  intelligences,   and 
with  the  inhabilunts  of  the  most  distant  worlds  ;  and  his 
happiness  perpetually  secured.     When  we  take  a  view  of 
the  universe  by  the  light  of  modern  science,  our  minds  are 
overpowered  and  confounded  at  the  idea  of  its  vast  and 
unlimited  range.     When  we  consider  that  it  would  require 
several  millions  of  years  for  a  cannon   ball,  flying   at  the 
rate  of  live  hundred  miles   an  hour,  to  reach  the  nearest 
stars — wtien  we  consider,  that  there  are  stars  visible  to  the 
naked  eye,  at  least  fifty  times  farther  distant  than  these — 
when  we  consider,  that  there  are  stars  visible  by  the  tel- 
escope, a  thousand  times  farther  distant   than   any  of  the 
former — and  when  we  consider,   that    all    the  suns   and 
worlds  which  lie  within  this  unfathomable  range,  are,  in  all 
probability,   only   as  a  grain  of  sand  to  the  whole  earth, 
when  compared   with  the  immensity  of  systems  which  lie 
beyond  them  in  the  unexplored   abyss  of  infinite  space — 
we  are  lost  in  the   immensity  of  creation,  and  can  set  no 
bounds  to  the   empire  of  the  Almighty  Sovereign.     When 
we  look  forward  to  that  eternal  state  to  which  w^e  are  des- 
tined— when  we   consider,  that,   after  thousands   of  mil- 
lions of  centuries  have   run  their  rounds,   eternity  will  be 
no  nearer   to  a  termination,  and  that  ages,  numerous  as 
the  drops  of  the   ocean,   will  still  roll  on  in  interminable 
succession — we  behold  a  lapse  of  duration,  and  a  succes- 
sion of  events  stretching  out  before   us,  which  correspond 
whh  the  immeasurable  spaces   of  the  universe,  and  the 
number  and  magnitude  of  the  worlds  with  which  it  is  stor- 
ed.    When  we  view  ourselves  as  thus  connected  with  the 
immensity  of  creation  on  the  one  hand,  and  with  infinite  du- 
ration on  the  other  ;  and  when  we  reflect  on  the  numerous 
changes  that  have  happened  both  in  the  physical  and  moral 
aspect  of  our  globe  within  the  period  of  six  thousand  years, 
we  cannot  but  conclude,  that  we  are  destined  to  pass  through 
new  scenes  and  changes  in  that  eternity  which  lies  before 
us,  of  which,  at  present,  we  can  form  no  conception.     After 
remaining  for  thousands  of  millions  of  years  in  that  M'orld 
which  will  be  prepared  for  the    righteous   at  the    general 
resurrection,  wo  may  be  transported  to   another  system  as 
far  distant  from  that  abode,  as  we  now   are  from   the  most 
distant  stars  visible  to  our  sight,   in  order    to    contemplate 
new  displays  of  the  attributes  of  God  in  another  province 


UNIVERSALITY    OF    THE    PRINCIPLE    OF    LOVE.         159 

of  his  empire.  We  may  afterwards  be  conveyed  to 
an  unoccupied  region  of  immensity,  where  new  crea- 
tions, displaying  new  objects  of  glory  and  magnificence, 
are  starting  into  existence.  We  may  afterwards  be  invest- 
ed with  the  wings  of  a  seraph,  and  be  enabled  to  wing  our 
way,  in  company  with  angels,  from  world  to  world,  and  to 
visit  the  most  distant  regions  of  that  immense  universe 
over  which  Omnipotence  presides.  In  short,  the  imagin- 
ation can  set  no  limits  to  its  excursions,  when  it  attempts 
to  survey  the  revolutions  and  changes  that  may  take  place, 
and  the  new  scenes  of  glory  which  may  burst  upon  the 
view  throughout  the  lapse  of  a  duration  which  will  have 
no  end. 

Now,  in  whatever  relation  man  may  stand  to  any  portion 
of  the  universal  system,  throughout  every  future  period 
of  his  existence,  and  during  all  the  revolutions  of  eter- 
nity, love  will  unite  him  to  all  other  holy  beings  with 
whom  he  may  associate,  however  distant  their  abode  from 
the  spot  he  now  occupies,  however  different  its  scenery  and 
arrangements,  and  however  superior  they  may  be  in  point 
of  corporeal  organization  and  intellectual  capacity.  For 
no  intelligence,  in  any  region  of  the  universe,  in  whom 
the  principle  of  love  predominates,  can  ever  be  supposed 
to  disdain  to  associate  with  another,  of  whatever  rank  or 
order,  who  is  actuated  by  a  similar  affection  ;  otherwise, 
his  love  would  degenerate  into  malevolence.  This  princi- 
ple will  unite  him  to  angels  and  archangels,  to  cherubim  and 
seraphim,  to  thrones,  dominions,  principalities,  and  powers, 
from  whose  discourses  he  will  learn  the  history  of  the 
Divine  dispensations,  the  wonders  of  Almighty  power, 
and  "  the  manifold  wisdom  of  God."  So  long  as  it  reigns 
uncontrolled  in  his  heart,  it  will  secure  his  happiness  in 
all  places,  and  in  every  period  of  his  existence,  by  a  law 
established  by  the  Almighty,  and  founded  on  his  perfec- 
tions ;  a  law  which  binds  tog'ether  the  whole  intelligent 
system,  and  forms  the  basis  of  the  felicity  of  the  moral  uni- 
verse. So  that  his  future  blessedness  is  forever  secure,  be- 
yond the  reach  of  danger,  and  rests  upon  a  foundation  sta- 
ble and  permanent  as  the  throne  of  the  Eternal. 

3.  From  what  has  been  now  stated  we  may  learn,  that 
there  is  but  one  religion  throughout  the  tmiverse,  however  vast 
its  masjnitude  and  boundless  its  extension.     In  this  world 


160  THE     PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

numerous  systems  of  religion  prevail,  and  thousands  of 
different  opinions  in  relation  to  its  ceremonies  and  ob- 
jects ;  but  experience  has  demonstrated,  that  all  of  them, 
except  oncy  are  insufficient  to  guide  rational  beings  lo 
substantial  felicity.  And  of  this  one  system,  how  many 
foolish  and  inaccurate,  and  even  contradictory  opinions, 
have  been  formed,  through  the  ignorance  and  perversity 
of  the  human  mind !  Though  all  its  parts  have  a  direct  ref- 
erence to  the  actions  of  intelligent  agents,  and  to  the  culti- 
vation of  henevolent  affections^  yet  it  has  been  represented, 
even  by  its  professed  abettors,  as  a  congeries  of  metaphys- 
ical dogmas  and  speculative  opinions  ;  and  in  this  point  of 
view,  it  has  been  the  source  of  perpetual  wrangling  and 
contentions.  Though  it  is  calculated  to  expand  the  un- 
derstanding, to  warm  the  heart,  and  to  elevate  the  soul  to 
God,  yet  it  has  been  reduced,  by  the  cunning  artifice  of 
man,  to  a  mass  of  mere  quibbles  and  unmeanino-  ceremo- 
nies. And  though  it  breathes  nothing  but  peace  and 
good  will  to  man,  it  has  been  employed  as  an  engine  of 
persecution  and  of  human  destruction.  It  is  only  in  pro- 
portion as  our  religion  approximates  to  the  character  of 
the  religion  which  is  common  to  all  holy  beings,  that  it 
is  worthy  of  our  veneration  and  our  ardent  pursuit.  And, 
therefore,  in  order  to  determine  the  truth  and  importance 
of  any  particular  system  of  religious  opinions,  the  best 
test  we  can  apply  to  it  is,  to  ascertain  what  bearings  it 
has  upon  the  grand  principles  to  which  we  have  been  ad- 
vertino-.  "  Do  all  the  sentiments  and  tenets  which  it 
strenuously  supports,  like  the  lines  from  the  circumference 
to  the  centre  of  a  circle,  converge  towards  the  promotion 
oilove,  in  all  its  practical  ramifications  ?  Are  the  opinions 
we  HOW  so  fiercely  maintain,  of  such  a  natttre,  that  wc 
shall  probably  recognise  them  as  im])ortant  practical  prin- 
ciples a  million  of  years  hence,  in  the  regions  of  distant 
worlds  ?"  If  such  a  test  were  applied  to  hundreds  of 
opinions  which  have  agitated  the  religious  world,  and  ob- 
structed the  operations  of  the  benevolent  affections,  they 
would  be  driven  away  from  the  Christian  system  as  chaff 
before  the  whirlwind  ;  and  Christians  would  feel  asham- 
ed of  the  importance  they  attached  to  their  "  mint,  and 
anise,  and  cummin,"  while  they  neglected  the  weightier 
matters  of  the  law,  "  judgment,  mercy,  and  the  love  of 


ANALOGY  OF  LOVE  TO  ATTRACTION.        161 

God."  How  many  false  and  foolish  opinions  shall  we 
leave  behind  us  in  this  region  of  darkness  and  contention, 
when  we  enter  within  the  confines  of  the  eternal  state  ? 
How  subhme,  how  lovely,  and  how  beatifying  will  relio-ion 
appear  in  that  world,  where  it  will  be  contemplated  in  its 
native  simplicity,  and  stripped  of  all  the  foreign  and  adven- 
titious circumstances  which  now  obscure  its  brightness 
and  glory  !— I  need  scarcely  say,  that  the  one  religion  to 
which  I  allude,  is  Christianity,  considered,  not  so  much 
in  the  scheme  of  mediation  which  it  unfolds,  which  may 
have  a  relation  solely  to  man  viewed  in  his  character  as 
a  sinner, — but  in  the  leading  dispositions  and  virtues  it  in- 
culcates, and  in  the  great  objects  which  all  its  doctrines, 
facts,  and  supernatural  communications  have  a  tendency 
to  accomplish.  In  these  points  of  view,  it  must  be  con- 
sidered as  embodying  principles  and  laws  which  pervade 
the  religious  systems  of  all  worlds. 

Finally,  love  is  a  principle  in  the  moral  and  intelligent 
system,  which  bears  a  striking  analogy  to  the  principle  of 
attraction  in  the  material  world.  Each  of  them  unites,  in  its 
respective  sphere,  all  the  beings  which  compose  it,  in  one 
grand  and  harmonious  system  ;  and  both  of  them  combined 
give  birth  to  all  the  moral  and  physical  phenomena  which 
diversify  the  intellectual  and  the  material  univeise.  By  the 
principle  of  attraction,  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  along 
with  their  habitations,  are  retained  to  its  surface,  and  pre- 
vented from  flying  off  in  wild  confusion  through  the  voids 
of  space.  By  the  same  power  the  mountains  rest  on  a 
solid  basis,  the  rivers  flow  from  the  mountains  to  the 
plains,  and  the  ocean  is  confined  within  its  appointed 
channels.  It  produces  the  various  phenomena  which  arise 
from  the  njeandering  rill,  the  majestic  river,  and  the  roar- 
ing cataract.  It  produces  the  djescent  of  rain  and  dew, 
and  the  alternate  flux  and  reflux  of  the  tidei?.  It  prevents 
the  waters  of  the  great  deep  from  covering  the  mountain 
tops,  and  mingling  in  confusion  witli  the  clouds  of  heit- 
ven.  It  binds  together  the  infinity  of  atoms  which  con- 
stitute the  globe  on  which  we  tread ;  it  regulates  the  va- 
rious movements  of  men  and  other  aniified  beings ;  it 
forms  mechanical  powers  ;  and  gives  impulsion  to  nume- 
rous machines  and  engines.  It  rolls  the  moon,  in  regular 
succession,  around  the  earth,  and  prevents  her  from  rim- 
14 


162  THE    rHlLOSOPIlY    OF    RELIGION. 

ning  lawlessly  through  the  sky.  It  extends  its  infliieRce 
from  the  sun  to  the  remotest  planets,  conducting  revolving 
worlds,  with  all  their  satellites,  in  their  ample  circuits,  and 
preserving  them  all  in  one  harmonious  system.  It  con- 
nects the  earth  and  the  planetary  globes  with  other  sys- 
tems in  the  distant  regions  of  space  ;  and  carries  the  sun, 
with  all  his  attendant  orbs,  around  the  centre  of  that  nebula 
to  which  it  belongs,  and  all  the  systems  and  nebulae  of  the 
universe  around  the  throne  of  God. 

In  like  manner,  love  unites  all  holy  intelligences,  wher- 
ever dispersed  through  the  amplitudes  of  creation,  in  one 
amiable  and  harmonious  system.  It  unites  man  to  God, 
and  God  to  man.  It  unites  the  renovated  inhabitants  of 
our  globe  to  angels  and  archangels,  and  qualifies  them  for 
entering  into  the  closest  bonds  of  friendship  and  afiection, 
with  superior  intelligences  that  people  the  regions  of  dis- 
tant worlds.  It  produces  an  expansive  and  harmonious 
spirit,  and  an  ardent  desire  to  diffuse  happiness  among  all 
surrounding  beings.  It  gives  birth  to  those  sublime  emo- 
tions which  flow  out  towards  the  Creator,  in  the  vari- 
ous forms  of  adoration,  complacency,  hope,  confidence,  hu- 
mility, joy,  submission,  and  reverence  ;  and  it  is  the  spring 
of  all  those  virtuous  dispositions  which  flow  out  towards 
our  fellow-creatures  in  the  form  of  mercy,  compassion, 
sincerity,  candour,  sympathy,  kindness,  long-suflering^ 
gentleness,  meekness,  charity,  generosity,  justice,  and 
active  beneficence.  It  impels  its  possessor  to  run  to 
the  assistance  of  the  distressed,  to  support  the  weak,  to 
eonsole  the  desponding,  to  comfort  the  dying,  to  dif- 
fuse the  rays  of  heavenly  light  over  the  benighted  mind, 
and  to  rejoice  in  the  prosperity  of  all  around.  It  'm,  "  the 
bond  of  perfection"  which  unites  the  members  of  an  af- 
fectionate family,  and  preeerves  the  union  of  the  faitliful 
in  JlJl  the  churches  of  the  saints.  It  unites  man  to  man  by 
the  closest  ties,  however  different  in  language,  customs, 
colour,  and  complexion,  and  however  far  removed  from 
each  other  in  point  of  place.  It  enables  the  Greenland- 
er,  the  Icelander,  the  African,  the  inhabitant  of  Ilindos- 
taii,  and  the  inhabitant  of  the  British  Isles,  iu  whose 
hearts  it  resides,  to  recognise  each  other  as  the  *  sons 
of  God,"  and  as  "  brethren  in  Christ  Jesus."  It  seade 
foith  the  imagination  over  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  «ar- 


ANALOGY  OF  LOVE  TO  ATTRACTION.       163 

rying  benevolent  wishes,  fervent  prayers  and  intercessions, 
for  men  of  all  kindreds  and  ranks ;  and  employs  every  ac- 
tive endeavour  to  promote  the  present  enjoyment,  and  the 
eternal  felicity  of  the  family  of  mankind.  It  inspires  the 
soul  with  emotions  of  delight,  when  it  becomes  the  instru- 
ment of  communicating  happiness  to  all  within  the  sphere 
of  its  influence.  It  unites  the  host  of  seraphim  and  che- 
rubim in  one  vast  and  harmonious  association  ;  so  that  no 
jarring  affection  is  ever  felt,  and  no  discordant  voice  is  ev- 
er heard,  among  the  thousands  and  ten  thousands  of  these 
exalted  intelligences.  It  preserves  every  member  of  the 
holy  and  intelligent  system  in  the  rank  and  orbit  prescribed 
by  Infinite  Wisdom,  and  leads  them  all  to  rejoice  in  accom- 
plishing the  plans  of  their  benevolent  Creator.  Around 
Him,  as  the  sun  of  the  moral  system — the  centre  of  light, 
and  love,  and  joy,  they  all  revolve  in  their  appointed  or- 
der ;  cheered  by  the  emanation  of  his  love,  enlightened  by 
his  beams,  and  reflecting  a  radiance  upon  all  the  beings 
with  whicii  they  are  surrounded.  Though  one  orb  differs 
from  another,  in  motion,  in  magnitude,  and  in  glory,  yet  no 
one  interferes  with  another,  to  impede  its  progress,  or  to 
intercept  the  emanations  of  light  and  joy  from  the  Uncre- 
ated Source  and  Centre  of  all  enjoyment. 

Were  the  principle  of  attraction,  which  binds  together 
the  atoms  of  our  globe,  and  connects  the  planetary  orbs 
with  the  sun,  to  be  completely  dissolved,  the  earth  would 
be  shattered  to  its  centre  ;  the  waters  of  the  ocean  would 
fly  upwards,  and  be  dispersed  through  the  highest  regions 
of  the  atmosphere  ;  rocks  and  mountains  would  be  detach- 
ed from  their  bases,  and  raised  aloft  above  the  clouds  ; 
forests  would  be  torn  up  from  their  roots,  and  tossed  about 
in  confusion  through  the  sky  ;  the  moon  would  forsake  her 
ancient  course ;  the  planets  would  run  lawlessly  through 
the  immensity  of  space,  and  mighty  worlds  would  be  seen 
dashing  against  each  other,  till  they  were  shattered  to 
pieces,  and  their  fragments  tossed  about  in  disorder,  through- 
out surrounding  systems. — Eflfects  equally  disastrous  to  the 
intelligent  system  would  be  produced,  were  the  influence 
of  love,  in  all  its  varied  emanations,  to  be  completely  sus- 
pended or  annihilated.  War  would  be  proclaimed  in  heav- 
en, and  myriads  of  angels  hurled  from  their  seats  of  bliss. 
The  rapturous  songs  and   adorations  of  seraphs  would  be 


164  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   RELIGION. 

changed  into  the  howlings  and  execrations  of  demons. 
The  population  of  the  universe  would  be  transformed  into 
one  vast  assemblage  of  fiends  ;  its  regions  of  beauty  and 
fertility  would  become  one  wide  scene  of  desolation  and 
horror,  and  the  voice  of  lamentation  and  misery  would  be 
heard  resounding  throughout  all  worlds.  On  earth  king- 
doms would  be  shaken  and  convulsed ;  governments  over- 
turned ;  societies  dissolved ;  families  dispersed ;  the  bonds 
of  friendship  burst  asunder ;  husbands  torn  from  their 
wives,  and  parents  from  their  children  ;  the  intercourse  of 
nations  suspended  ;  the  pursuits  of  science  and  religion 
abandoned ;  every  rank  and  relation  overturned,  and  vir- 
tue banished  from  the  abodes  of  men.  Deserting  all  social 
beings,  and  forsaken  by  all,  man  would  become  a  solitary 
monster,  wandering  without  plan  or  object,  an  enemy  to 
himself,  and  to  his  species.  Anarchy  and  disorder  would 
reign  triumphant  over  the  whole  race  of  human  beings,  and 
the  bowlings  of  wretchedness  and  despair  would  re-echo 
from  every  land. 

Such  a  scene  of  moral  desolation,  selfishness  and  malig- 
nity have  a  natural  tendency  to  create  ;  and  such  a  scene 
they  have  actually  created  in  our  world,  in  so  far  as  their 
influence  has  extended.  The  power  of  attraction  has  never 
been  completely  suspended  in  relation  to  our  globe,  nor 
has  the  moral  Governor  of  the  universe  suffered  the  prin- 
ciple of  love  to  be  entirely  eradicated  from  the  minds  of  its 
inhabitants.  But,  as  when  the  law  of  gravitation  is  coun- 
teracted in  the  case  of  earthquakes  and  volcanoes,  the 
most  destructive  and  desolating  convulsions  ensue — so  it 
happens  in  the  moral  M^orld,  when  the  law  of  benevolence 
is  trampled  under  foot.  "  Nation  rises  against  nation,  and 
kingdom  against  kingdom  ;"  hostile  armies  encounter  like 
tigers  rushing  on  their  prey ;  "  fire-brands,  arrows  and 
death,"  are  scattered  in  every  direction  ;  a  confused  noise 
of  chariots,  and  horsemen,  and  of  engines  of  destruction, 
is  wafted  on  every  breeze ;  garments  are  rolled  in  blood, 
and  whole  plains  drenched  with  human  gore,  and  covered 
with  the  carcasses  of  the  slain.  But  wherever  love  dif- 
fuses its  powerful  and  benign  influence,  there  harmony, 
happiness,  and  peace,  are  enjoyed,  by  every  rank  of  sensi- 
tive and  intellectual  existence.  In  every  world  where  it 
reigns  supreme,  the  intellectual  faculty  is  irradiated,  the 


ILLUSTRATIONS    FROM    BCRIPTURE.  165 

affections  are  purified  and  expanded,  transporting  joys  are 
felt,  and,  like  the  planetary  orbs,  and  their  train  of  satel- 
lites, all  shine  with  a  steady  lustre,  and  move  onward,  in 
harmonious  order,  around  the  Supreme  Source  of  intelli* 
gence,  and  the  Eternal  Centre  of  all  felicity. 


SECTION  VII. 

The  preceding  views  corroborated  by  Divine  Revelation. 

In  the  preceding  sections  I  have  endeavoured  to  illus- 
trate the  two  grand  principles  of  the  Moral  Law,  and  to 
demonstrate  their  reasonableness,  and  the  necessity  of  their 
universal  operation,  in  order  to  the  promotion  of  the  hap- 
piness of  the  intelligent  system.  I  have  proceeded  all 
along  on  the  ground  of  revelation,  as  well  as  of  reason, 
and  the  nature  of  things.  But  since  these  important  prin- 
ciples form  the  basis  of  the  system  of  religion,  and  of  all 
the  practical  conclusions  I  may  afterwards  deduce  in  the 
remaining  part  of  this  work,  it  may  be  expedient  to  advert 
a  little  more  explicitly  to  the  declarations  of  Scripture  on 
this  subject.  And  here  I  propose  very  briefly  to  show, 
that  it  is  the  great  end  of  Divine  Revelation  to  illustrate 
these  principles  in  ail  their  various  bearings,  and  to  bring 
them  into  practical  operation. 

This  position  is  expressly  stated  by  our  Saviour  himself 
in  his  reply  to  the  scribe,  who  proposed  the  question, 
*'  AVhich  is  the  great  commandment  in  the  law  ?"  "  Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with 
all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind.  This  is  the  first  and 
great  commandment.  And  the  second  is  like  unto  it ; 
Thou  shalt   love   thy  neighbour   as   thysell.     On  these 

TWO  COMMANDMENTS   HANG   ALL   THB  LAW  AND  THE 

PROPHETS."  This  declaration  evidently  implies,  that  it 
is  the  design  of  the  whole  of  the  Old  Testament  Revela- 
tion, to  illustrate  and  enforce  these  laws,  and  to  produce 
all  those  holy  tempers  which  are  comprised  in  the  love  of 
God,  and  of  our  neighbour.  This  appears  to  be  the 
grand  object  of  all  the  historical  facts,  religious  institutions, 
devotional  exercises,  moral  maxims,  prophecies,  exhorta- 
14* 


166  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

tions,  promises,  and  threatenings  which  it  records.  The 
history  of  the  formation  of  the  universe,  and  of  the  beau- 
tiful arrangement  of  our  globe,  as  detailed  in  the  Book  of 
C^enesis,  is  calculated  to  display  the  wisdom  and  goodness 
of  the  Creator,  and  to  draw  forth  our  affections  towards 
Him  who  is  the  Author  of  our  enjoyments,  and  vvlio  pro- 
nnunced  every  thing  he  had  made  to  be  "  very  good." 
The  history  of  the  wickedness  of  the  antediluvian  world, 
of  the  dreadful  effects  it  produced  in  the  state  of  society, 
and  of  the  awful  catastrophe  by  which  its  inhabitants  were 
f'wept  from  existence,  and  buried  in  the  waters  of  the  del- 
uge, is  calculated  to  illustrate,  in  the  most  striking  manner, 
the  guilt  and  the  danger  of  withdrawing  the  affections 
from  God,  and  of  indulging  a  principle  of  malevolence  to- 
wards man.  The  history  of  the  crimes  of  Sodom,  and  of 
the  fate  of  its  wretclied  inhabitants  ;  the  destruction  of 
Pharaoh  and  his  armies  at  the  Red  Sea  ;  the  history  of  the 
idolatrous  practices  of  the  Israelites,  of  their  murraurings 
in  the  wilderness,  and  of  the  punishments  inflicted  for 
their  rebellion  ;  the  fate  of  Korah,  Dathan,  and  Abiram, 
and  of  the  worshippers  of  Baal  :  the  destruction  of  the 
nations  of  Canaan  ;  the  judgments  which  pursued  the 
.Jewish  nation,  during  the  whole  period  of  their  history  on 
account  of  their  defection  from  God,  and  the  calamities 
which  befel  them  at  the  period  of  the  Babylonish  captiv- 
ity—together with  all  the  other  facts  connected  with  the 
history  of  that  people  and  of  the  surrounding  nations,  are 
intended  to  exhibit  the  dismal  consequences,  and  the  mor- 
al wretchedness  which  inevitably  follow,  when  the  affec- 
tions of  mankind  are  withdrawn  from  the  God  of  Heaven, 
and  left  to  grovel  in  the  mire  of  depravity  and  vice. 

The  institutions  of  the  Jewish  Church  were  appointed 
for  promoting  the  knowledge  and  the  love  of  God,  and 
for  exciting  an  abhorrence  of  every  thing  which  is  contra- 
ry to  the  rectitude  and  purity  of  his  nature.  Among  the 
tribes  that  inhabited  the  land  of  Canaan,  prior  to  the  en- 
trance of  the  Israelites,  and  among  all  the  surrounding 
nations,  the  worship  of  false  gods,  the  grossest  supersti- 
tions, and  the  most  abominable  vices  universally  prevail- 
ed. It  was  one  great  end  of  the  laws  and  ceremonies  en- 
joined upon  Israel,  to  excite  the  highest  degree  of  abhor- 
rence at  every  thing  which  was  connected  with  idolatry, 


ILLUSTRATIONS    FROM  SCRIPTURE.  1^7 

to'  portray  its  wickedness  and  folly,  to  rivet  the  affections 
of  the  people  to  the  worship  of  the  true  God,  to  preserve 
them  uncontaminated  from  the  malignant  dispositions,  and 
the  vile  practices  of  the  neighbouring  nations,  and  to  in- 
struct them  in  the  nature  and  attributes  of  the  Deity  ;  that 
they  might  be  ^^  a.  peculiar  people  to  Jehovah,  separated 
from  all  the  people  that  were  on  the  face  of  the  earth.'' 
Hence,  the  following  intimation  and  injunction  are  placed 
on  the  front  of  the  moral  code  of  laws  delivered  to  thai 
nation,  "  Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord. 
Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  me."  To  promote 
harmony  and  affection  between  man  and  man  ;  to  enfor(;e 
the  exercise  of  justice  and  equity  in  all  their  dealings  ;  to 
inculcate  chastity  and  purity  of  affection,  kindness  to  stran- 
gers, compassion,  tenderness,  and  sympathy  ;  obedience 
to  parents,  charitable  dispositions  towards  the  poor  and 
needy,  and  tenderness,  and  mercy,  towards  the  ir/ferior 
animals,  w^ere  the  great  objects  of  the  various  laws  and 
regulations  comprised  in  their  moral  and  political  code. 

The  devotional  portions  of  the  Old  Testament,  particu- 
larly those  contained  in  the  book  of  Psalms,  liave  the 
same  general  tendency.  The  descriptions  of  the  works 
of  creation  and  providence,  the  adorations  of  the  majesty 
of  the  God  of  Israel,  the  celebration  of  the  divine  charac- 
ter and  excellences,  and  the  ascriptions  of  thanksgivinir 
and  praise  for  the  mercy,  long-suffering,  and  goodness  of 
God,  with  which  these  divine  compositions  abound,  r.re 
calculated  to  raise  the  affections  to  Jehovah  as  the  source 
of  every  blessing,  and  ta  inspire  the  soul  with  love,  ad- 
miration, and  reverence.  In  many  of  these  sublime  odes, 
particularly  ifi  the  11 9th  Psalm,  the  mind  of  the  Psalm- 
ist is  absorbed  in  meditation  on  the  excellency  of  the  di- 
vine precepts,  and  the  happiness  which  the  observance 
of  thera  is  calculated  to  convey  to  the  soul.  "  0  how  I 
Jove  thy  law  !"  says  David,  "  it  is  my  meditation  all  the 
day.  The  law  of  thy  mouth  is  better  unto  me,  than  thou- 
sands of  gold  and  silver.  I  have  rejoiced  in  thy  testimo- 
nies as  much  as  in  all  riches."  The  moral  maxims  con- 
tained in  the  writings  of  Solomon  are  likewise  intended 
to  draw  forth  the  desires  after  God,  to  counteract  the  in- 
fluence of  the  depraved  passions  of  the  human  heart,  and 
to  promote  the  exercise  of  candour,  sincerity,  justice  and 


168  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   RELIGION. 

benevolence  aniong  mankind.  The  exhortations,  remon- 
strances and  denunciations  of  the  phrophets,  were  also  in- 
tended to  recal  the  affections  of  the  people  of  Israel  to  the 
God  from  whom  they  liad  revoked,  to  show  the  unrea- 
sonableness of  their  conduct  in  "  forsaking  the  fountain" 
of  their  happiness  ;  to  display  the  purity,  the  excellence, 
and  the  eternal  obligation  of  the  divine  precepts,  and  to 
warn  them  of  the  inevitable  misery  and  ruin  which  will 
overtake  the  workers  of  iniquity.  In  short,  all  the  prom- 
ises and  threatenings  of  the  word  of  God,  all  the  coiiside- 
rations  addressed  to  the  hopes  and  the  fears  of  men,  all 
the  providential  dispensations  of  God,  all  the  manifesta- 
tions of  the  divine  character  and  perfections,  and  all  the 
descriptions  of  the  glories  of  heaven,  and  of  the  terrors  of 
hell,  have  a  tendency  to  illustrate  the  indispensable  obli- 
gation of  love  to  God,  and  love  to  all  mankind,  in  order  to 
secure  our  present  comfort  and  eternal  felicity. 

And,  as  it  was  the  main  design  of  the  Old  Testament 
economy  to  illustrate  and  enforce  the  principle  of  love  to 
God  and  to  man,  so  it  is,  in  a  particular  manner,  the 
great  object  of  the  Christian  Revelation,  to  exhibit  the 
law  of  love  in  all  its  bearings  and  practical  applications. 
In  one  of  the  first  sermons  delivered  by  our  Saviour, 
and  the  longest  one  recorded  in  the  Evangelical  History, 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  the  main  design  is,  to  explain 
and  enforce  these  principles,  in  relation  both  to  God 
and  to  man,  and  to  sweep  away  all  the  false  glosses  which 
Ignorance  and  Prejudice  had  mingled  with  their  interpre- 
tations of  the  Divine  law.  In  one  part  of  this  discourse, 
our  Lord  declares,  that  we  may  as  soon  expect  to  see 
*'  heaven  and  earth  pass  away,"  or  the  whole  frame  of 
the  universe  dissolved,  as  that  "  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall 
pass  from  the  law."  For,  as  it  is  a  law  founded  on  the  na- 
ture of  God,  it  must  be  of  eternal  obligation,  and  can  never 
be  abrogated  with  regard  to  any  class  of  rational  beingfy, 
in  consistency  with  the  perfections  of  the  Divine  nature. 
As  it  is  a  law  absolutely  perfect,  comprehending  within 
its  range  every  disposition  and  affection,  and  every  duty 
which  is  requisite  for  promoting  the  order  and  happiness  of 
intelligent  agents,  nothing  can  be  taken  from  it  without 
destroying  its  perfection  ;  and  nothing  can  be  added  to  it 
without  supposing  that  it  was  originally  imperfect.      And, 


ILLUSTRATIONS    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  169 

as  it  was  intended  to  preserve  the  harmony  and  to  secure 
the  felicity  of  the  intellectual  beings  that  people  the  earth 
and  the  heavens,  the  fiibric  of  universal  nature  must  be 
destroyed,  before  this  law  can  be  set  aside  or  cancelled. 
For  we  have  already  seen,  (Sect.  IV.)  that,  were  it  re- 
versed, the  whole  intelligent  system  would  be  transformed 
into  a  scene  of  confusion,  misery,  and  horror.  For  the  pur- 
pose of  affording  an  immense  theatre,  on  which  the  opera- 
tions of  this  law  might  be  displayed,  the  earth  with  all 
Its  furniture  and  decorations,  and  the  heavens,  v/ith  all 
their  hosts,  were  called  into  existence  ;  and,  tlierefore, 
were  it  either  cancelled  or  reversed,  neither  the  glory  of  the 
Creator  would  be  displayed,  nor  the  happiness  of  his  intel- 
ligent creation  secured.  The  mighty  expanse  of  the  uni- 
verse, enclosing  so  many  spacious  worlds,  would  become 
one  boundless  moral  desert,  in  which  no  "  fruits  of  right- 
eousness" would  appear,  nor  any  trace  of.  the  beauty  and 
benevolence  of  the  Eternal  Mind. — In  the  same  discourse, 
our  Saviour  enforces  the  duty  of  love  towards  even  our 
most  bitter  enemies  and  most  furious  persecutors.  "  Ye 
have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said.  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbour,  and  hate  thine  enemy.  But  I  say  unto  you. 
Love  your  enemies  ;  bless  them  that  curse  you ;  do  good 
to  them  that  hate  you  ;  and  pray  for  them  that  despite- 
fully  use  you,  and  persecute  you.  That  you  may  be  the 
children  of  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven ;  for  he  maketh 
his  sun  to  arise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth 
rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust."  This  is  one  of  the 
most  sublime  exercises  of  the  principle  of  love,  in  refer- 
ence to  our  fellow-men ;  and  it  is  enforced  from  the  most 
sublime  motive  and  consideration — the  conduct  of  Benev- 
olence itself  towards  a  race  of  rebellious  and  ungrateful 
creatures. 

All  the  other  instructions  of  this  Divine  Teacher — bis 
parables,  exhortations,  admonitions,  warnings,  and  conso^ 
latory  addresses,  though  referring  to  particular  cases  and 
circumstances — had  the  same  general  object  in  view. 
When  his  disciples  would  have  called  for  fire  from  heaven, 
to  consume  the  Samaritans,  he  kindly,  but  with  energy 
and  decision,  reminded  them,  that  a  principle  of  malig- 
nity was  embodied  in  their  unhallowed  desires,  which  is 
directly  opposed  to  the  law  of  love.     "Ye  know  not  what 


170  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

manner  of  spirit  ye  are  of;  for  the  Son  of  man  is  not 
<!onie  to  destroy  men's  lives,  but  to  save  them."  Among 
his  last  instructions  to  his  followers,  when  he  was  about  to 
depart  from  the  scene  of  his  earthly  pilgrimage,  love  was 
the  grand  theme  on  which  he  repeatedly  expatiated. 
"**  A  new  commandment  give  I  unto  you,  that  ye  love  one 
another;  as  I  have  loved  you,  that  ye  also  love  one  ano- 
ther. By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disci- 
ples, if  ye  have  love  one  to  another."  "These  things  I 
command  you  that  ye  love  one  another." 

And,  as  the  promotion  of  the  spirit  of  love  was  the 
great  object  of  his  instructions,  so  his  whole  life  was  an 
uninterrupted  exemplification  of  the  purest  benevolence, 
both  towards  friends  and  towards  enemies.  Never  did 
that  holy  affection  which  unites  the  angelic  tribes,  and 
diffuse?  joy  among  the  pure  inhabitants  of  all  worlds,  ap- 
pear, within  the  confines  of  our  world,  so  amiable, 
ao  disinterested,  and  so  ardent,  as  during  the  period 
of  the  public  ministry  of  Jesus,  and  particularly  to- 
wards the  close  of  his  earthly  career.  In  the  hnmediate 
prospect  of  sufferings,  dreadful  beyond  our  conceptions, 
his  love  to  mankind  was  "  strong  as  death"  which  the 
many  waters  of  affliction  which  surrounded  him  were  un- 
able to  quench.  His  whole  soul  seemed  to  be  absorbed 
in  affection  towards  his  disconsolate  disciples,  and  in  a 
desire  to  cheer  and  animate  their  drooping  spirits.  His 
last  addresses,  as  recorded  by  the  Evangelist  John,  breathe 
a  spirit  of  tenderness  and  compassion,  and  of  Divine  be- 
nignity, of  which  we  have  no  parallel  in  the  annals  of 
our  race. 

To  display  his  kindness  and  condescension,  and  to  teach 
hisL  disciples  to  perform  with  cheerfulness  the  humblest 
offices  of  friendship,  he  rose  from  supper ;  he  laid  aside 
his  garments;  he  took  a  towel;  he  girded  himself;  he 
poured  water  into  a  bason  ;  he  began  to  wash  the  (hsciples' 
feet ;  and  he  wiped  them  with  the  towel  wberewitli  he  was 
girded.  He  then  addressed  them  in  such  language  as 
this  : — "  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled  ;  in  my  Father's 
house  are  many  mansions  ;  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for 
you.  And,  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will 
come  again  and  receive  you  to  myself;  that  where  I  am 
there  ye  may    be  also.     I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless ; 


ILLUSTRATIONS  FROM  SCRIPTURE.         171 

[  will  pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another  com- 
forter, even  the  Spirit  of  truth,  which  shall  abide  with 
you  forever.  Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name,  I  will 
do  it.  Peace  I  leave  with  you ;  my  peace  I  give  unto 
you ;  not  as  the  world  givetli,  give  I  unto  you.  Let  not 
your  heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid."  In  his 
last  prayer,  which  accompanied  these  benedictions,  the 
same  ardent  flow  of  affection  burst  from  his  benevolent 
heart — "  Holy  Father !  keep,  through  thine  own  name, 
those  whom  thou  hast  given  me,  that  they  may  be  one  as 
we  ire."  But  his  love  was  not  confined  to  the  select  few 
with  whom  he  was  surrounded  at  this  interesting  hour. 
His  mental  eye  surveyed  the  various  tribes  which  people 
this  department  of  creation — it  pierced  through  all  the 
succeeding  generations  of  mankind — and  he  embraced  in 
his  expansive  affections,  the  whole  race  of  the  faithful  till 
the  close  of  time.  "Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone ;  but 
for  them  also  who  shall  believe  on  me  through  their  word; 
that  they  all  may  be  one,  as  thou.  Father,  art  in  me, 
and  I  in  thee ;  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us."  Even 
towards  his  bitterest  enemies  his  benevolent  emotions  flow- 
ed out,  in  earnest  supplications  for  their  forgiveness.  Nei- 
ther "  the  floods  of  ungodly  men,"  which  compassed  him, 
nor  the  torrents  of  abuse  which  were  poured  upon  him 
Avhile  he  was  nailing  to  the  cross,  could  overpower  that 
heavenly  flame  which  burned  in  his  holy  breast.  In  the 
midst  of  all  the  mockeries,  insults,  and  indignities  which 
he  endui'ed,  when  he  was  made  "  a  spectacle  to  angels 
and  to  men,"  his  affectionate  desires  ascended,  with  the 
smoke  of  the  evening  sacrifice,  to  the  throne  of  God,  in 
behalf  of  his  murderers — "Father,  forgive  them;  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do."  O,  what  a  striking  contrast  is 
here  presented,  to  those  scenes  of  pride,  malignity,  and  re- 
venge, which  have  so  long  disgraced  the  race  of  Adam, 
and  spread  lamentation,  and  mourning,  and  terror,  among 
families  societies,  and  nations  !  What  a  happy  world  would 
this  become,  were  it  peopled  with  such  amiable  charao- 
ters,  and  were  all  M'ho  profess  to  be  followers  of  .fcsus,  in- 
stead of  contending  about  "  questions  which  gender  strife;!' 
to  vie  with  each  other  in  imitating  his  mild  and  benevolerrt 
spirit !  Then  Christianity  would  appear  in  its  native  lustre, 
aad  receive  the  homage   due  toils  divine  character;  and 


172  THE    I'HILOSOPIIY    OF    RELIGION. 

the  name  of  Jehovah  would  soon  be  proclaimed  throughout 
all  the  earth,  and  the  joys  of  his  salvation  felt  in  every 
clime. 

Again,  it  is  one  great  end  of  the  death  of  Christ  to  de- 
stroy the  principle  of  malignity  in  the  human  heart,  and  to 
promote  the  operation  of  the  law  of  love.  "  While  we 
were  enemies  (says  the  Apostle  Paul),  we  were  reconcil- 
ed to  God  by  the  death  of  his  Son."  "We  are  sanctified 
through  the  offering  of  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ  once  for 
all."  '*  He  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his 
own  blood."  "  They  who  were  enemies  in  their  i^ind, 
and  by  wicked  works,  he  reconciled  in  the  body  of  his 
flesh  through  death,  to  present  them  holy  and  unblamea- 
ble,  and  unreproveable  in  his  sight."  Love  to  his  heav- 
enly Father,  and  love  to  mankind,  impelled  him  to  "  hum- 
ble himself,  and  to  becom.e  obedient  to  death,  even  the 
death  of  the  cross."  And,  in  order  that  this  divine  prin- 
ciple might  be  kept  alive,  and  form  a  bond  of  union  among 
all  his  followers,  he  appointed  an  ordinance,  consisting  of 
sensible  signs,  in  commemoration  of  his  death,  to  be  ob- 
served in  all  ages  as  a  mem.orial  of  his  love,  and  to  remind 
his  friends  of  the  indispensable  obligation  under  which 
they  are  laid  to  love  one  another.  To  promote  the  same 
benevolent  design,  he  arose  from  the  dead,  ascended  to 
heaven,  sent  down  the  Spirit  of  Holiness  to  abide  in  the 
Church,  and  now  presides  in  the  celestial  world  as  "  a 
Prince  and  a  Saviour,  to  give  repentance  and  the  remission 
of  sins." 

And,  as  the  instructions  and  the  example  of  Jesus  Christ 
were  calculated  to  exhibit  the  principle  of  love  in  all 
its  iflteresting  aspects,  and  to  promote  its  practical  influ- 
ence, so  the  preaching  and  the  writings  of  his  Apostles  had 
the  same  important  object  in  view,  as  the  ultimate  scope 
of  all  tlieir  ministrations.  The  one  half  of  every  epistle 
to  the  Christian  churches  is  occupied  in  delineating  the 
practical  bearings  of  this  holy  aflection.  Like  the  lines 
which  proceed  from  the  centre  to  the  circumference  of  a 
circle,  the  various  radiations  of  Christian  aflection  are 
traced  from  love,  as  the  grand  central  point,  and  exhibited 
in  all  their  benign  influence  on  individuals,  families, 
churches,  and  the  (Hvcrsified  relations  which  subsist  in  civil 
and  Christian  society.     "  Above  all  things,"  says  the  Apo9- 


ILLUSTRATIONS    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  173 

tie,  ''  put  on  love,  which  is  the  bond  of  perfection.  Though 
we  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and  angels,  and  have  not 
love,  we  are  become  as  sounding  brass,  or  a  tinkling 
cymbal.  And  though  we  understand  all  mysteries,  and  all 
knowledge,  and  bestow  all  our  goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and 
have  not  love,  it  profiteth  nothing.  Love  sufTereth  long, 
and  is  kind  ;  love  envieth  not,  vaunteth  not  itself,  doth 
not  behave  itself  unseemly,  seeketh  not  her  own,  is  not 
easily  provoked,  thinketh  no  evil.  Prophecies  shall  fail, 
languages  shall  cease,  earthly  knowledge  shall  vanish 
away,  but  love  7iever  faileth.^^  "  Love  worketh  no  ill 
to  his  neighbour ;  therefore,  love  is  the  fulhlling  of 
the  law.  All  the  law  is  comprehended  in  this  saying, 
namely,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself. 
The  works  of  the  flesh,"  or  those  which  flow  from 
a  principle  of  malignity,  "  are  these  :  fornication,  un- 
cleanness,  idolatry,  hatred,  variance,  emulations,  wrath, 
strife,  seditions,  envyings,  murders,  revellings,  and  such 
like.  But  the  fruit  of  the  spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,  long- 
suffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  fidelity,  meekness,  and 
temperance."  "  Let  love  be  without  dissimulation,  and 
walk  in  love  as  Christ  also  hath  loved  us.  Be  kindly  af- 
fectioned  one  toward  another  with  brotherly  love,  in  hon- 
our preferring  one  another.  Distributing  to  the  necessity 
of  saints,  given  to  hospitality.  Bless  them  who  persecute 
you  ;  bless,  and  curse  not.  Rejoice  with  them  that  do 
rejoice,  and  weep  with  tiiem  that  weep.  Husbands,  love 
your  wives,  even  as  Christ  also  loved  the  church  ;  chil- 
dren, obey  your  parents  in  the  Lord  ;  fathers,  provoke 
not  your  children  to  wrath,  but  bring  them  up  in  the  nur- 
ture and  admonition  of  the  Lord.  Servants,  be  obedient 
to  your  masters,  with  good  will  doing  service  as  to  the 
Lord,  and  not  unto  men ;  and  ye  masters,  do  the  same 
thing  unto  them,  forbearing  threatening,  knowing  that 
your  master  also  is  in  heaven."  "  Put  on,  as  the  eieci  of 
God,  holy  and  beloved,  bowels  of  mercies,  kindness, 
humbleness  of  mind,  meekness,  long-suflering  ;  forbearing 
one  another  in  love,  and  forgiving  one  another,  if  any 
man  have  a  quarrel  against  any  ;  even  as  Christ  forgave 
you,  so  also  do  ye.'' 

Such  is  the   general  scope  of   the  instructions  which 
the  Apostles  delivered,  in  all  their  communications  to  tke 
Christian  churches,  whether  composed  of  Jews  or  of  Gen- 
15 


174  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

tiles.  And,  had  it  not  been  for  the  strong  prejudices  of 
the  Jews,  and  the  erroneous  conceptions  of  the  Gentiles, 
which  the  Apostles  had  to  combat,  it  is  probable,  that 
the  whole  of  their  epistles  would  have  been  solely  occu- 
pied, in  delineating  the  practical  effects  of  love  to  God, 
and  to  our  brethren  of  mankind,  and  its  glorious  conse- 
quences in  the  future  world.  And,  as  it  was  the  great  aim 
of  the  apostles  themselves,  in  their  writings  and  perso- 
nal ministrations,  to  illustrate  the  numerous  bearings  of 
Christian  Love,  so  they  gave  solemn  charges  to  their 
successors  in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  to  make  all  their 
instructions  subservient  to  the  promotion  of  the  same 
important  object.  Almost  the  whole  of  the  epistles  ad- 
dressed to  Timothy  and  Titus,  which  relate  to  the  duties 
and  the  objects  of  the  Christian  ministry,  has  a  reference, 
not  to  the  discussion  of  metaphysical  questions  in  the- 
ology, which  "  are  unprofitable  and  vain,"  but  to  the  illus- 
tration, and  th€  inculcating  of  those  practical  duties  which 
flow  from  the  spirit  of  love,  and  to  the  counteracting  of 
those  proud,  malignant,  and  speculative  dispositions,  which 
are  opposed  to  the  meekness  and  benignity  of  the  gospel 
of  peace. 

I  might  al?o  have  shown,  by  numerous  quotations,  that, 
in  the  gcne7'al  epistles  of  Peter,  James,  and  John,  the  same 
grand  object    to  which  I  have  been  adverting   is    steadi- 
ly and  uniformly  kept  in  view.     The  first  epistle  of  John 
is  almost  exclusively  devoted  to  the  illustration  of  the  love 
of  God  and  of  man  ;  and  on  this  theme,  in  which  his  soul 
appears  to    be    almost    entirely  absorbed,    he    expatiates 
with  'peculiar  energy  and  delight :  "  We  know  that  we 
have  passed  from  death  to  life,  because  we  love  the  breth- 
ren.    He    that  loveth  not  his    brother   abideth  in   death. 
Whosoever  hateth  his  brother  is  a  murderer  ;  and  ye  know 
that  no  murderer  hath  [the  principle  of]   eternal  life  abid- 
ing in  him.     Behold,  what  manner  of  love  the  Father  hath 
bestowed  on  us,  that  we  should  be  called  the  sons  of  God  ! 
Beloved,  let  us  love  one  another  ;  for  love  is  of  God :  and 
every  one  that  loveth  is  born  of  God,  and  knoweth  God. 
He  that  loveth  not   knoweth  not   God  ;  for  God  is  love. 
No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time.     If  we  love  one  an- 
other, God  dwelleth  in  us,  and  his  love  is  perfectod  in  us. 
If  a  man  sav,  I  love   God,   and  hateth  his  brother,  Jie  is 


ILLUSTRATIONS    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  175 

a  liar ;  for  he  that  loveth  not  his  brother,  whom  he  hath 
seen,  how  can  he  love  God,  whom  he  huth  not  seen  ?" 
It  is  recorded,  by  some  ancient  authors,  that  when  this 
Apostle  was  grown  old,  and  unable  to  preach,  he  used  to 
be  led  to  the  church  at  Ephesus,  and  only  to  say  these 
words  to  the  people,  "  Little  children,,  love  one  another.'''' 
Such  was  the  importance  which  this  venerable  Apostle 
attached  to  love,,  as  the  grand  and  governing  principle  in 
the  Christian  system. 

Finally,  the  procedure  of  the  last  judgment  will  be  con- 
ducted on  evidence,  deduced  from  the  manifestations  of 
love.  At  that  solemn  period,  when  the  present  economy 
of  Divine  Providence  shall  come  to  a  termination ;  when 
the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat,  and  the  great 
globe  on  which  we  tread  shall  be  wrapt  in  flames  ;  when 
the  Archangel  shall  descend,  and  sound  an  alarm  v/ith 
"  the  trump  of  God ;"  when  the  graves  shall  open,  and 
give  forth  their  dead  ;  and  when  all  the  generations  of 
men,  "  both  small  and  great,"  shall  stand  before  the 
throne  of  God  ;  the  eternal  destiny  of  all  the  millions  of 
mankind  will  be  unalterably  determined,  on  the  ground  of 
the  manifestations  which  have  been  given  of  the  existence 
and  the  operation  of  the  principle  of  love,  and  of  the  af- 
fections and  conduct  to  which  it  is  opposed.  "  When  the 
Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his  glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels 
with  him,  then  shall  he  sit  upon  the  throne  of  liis  glory. 
And  before  him  shall  be  assembled  all  nations.  Then  shall 
he  say  to  them  on  his  right  hand.  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my 
Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foun- 
dation of  the  world.  For  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave 
me  meat ;  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink  ;  I  was  a 
stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in;  naked,  and  ye  clothed  me  ;  I 
was  sick,  and  ye  visited  me  ;  I  Vv^as  in  prison,  and  ye  came 
unto  me."  And,  though  you  had  no  opportunity  of  per- 
forming these  offices  to  me  in  person,  yet,  "  inasmuch  as  ye 
did  it  to  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ve  did'  it 
unto  me."  "Then  shall  he  also  say  to  them  on  the  left 
hand.  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed  ;  for  I  was  an  hungered, 
and  ye  gave  me  no  meat ;  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  no 
drink ;  I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took  me  not  in  ;  naked, 
and  ye  clothed  me  not ;  sick,  and  in  prison,  and  ye  visited 
me  not.     Verily  I   say  unto  you,  inasmuch  as  ye  did  it 


176  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF  RELIGIOX. 

not  to  one  of  the  least  of  these,  ye  did  it  not  to  me.  And 
these  shall  go  away  into  everlasting  punislnncnt,  but  the 
righteous  into  life  eternal."  For  every  one  shall  be  re- 
warded according  to  his  works. — Such  is  the  importance 
which  will  be  attached  to  the  influence  of  this  holy  affec- 
tion over  the  human  mind,  at  that  "  day  of  dread,  de- 
cision, and  despair ;"  for  it  is  quite  obvious,  that  every 
action  here  specified  in  relation  to  the  righteous,  is  an 
effect  of  the  love  of  God  and  of  man  presiding  in  the 
heart ;  and,  therefore,  if  we  shall  ultimately  be  found 
destitute  of  this  holy  principle,  we  cannot  expect  the  re- 
ward of  the  faithful,  nor  "  have  boldness  m  the  day  of 
judgment." 

Thus  it  appears  that  it  is  the  great  end  of  all  the  histor- 
ical facts,  the  religious  institutions,  the  devotional  writ- 
ings, the  moral  maxims,  the  instructions  of  the  prophets, 
the  warnings,  exhortations,  promises,  and  threatenings, 
comprised  in  the  Jewish  revelation,  to  illustrate  and  en- 
force the  law  of  love  in  its  references  both  to  God  and  to 
man — that  it  is  explained  and  illustrated  in  the  various  in- 
structions delivered  by  our  blessed  Saviour,  and  enforced  by 
his  example — that  its  numerous  bearings  and  modifica- 
tions are  displayed  in  the  writings  of  all  the  Apostles, 
and  in  their  instructions  to  Christian  teachers — and,  that 
its  existence  in  the  heart,  and  its  operation  in  active  life, 
will  form  the  decisive  test  of  our  characters  at  the  final 
judgment. 


SECTION  VIII. 

On  the  practical  operation  of  Love,  and  the  variovs  modes 
in  which  it  should  he  displayed  towards  mankind. 

We  have  already  seen,  that  love  is  a  most  noble  and 
expansive  aflection.  It  is  not  like  a  blazing  meteor  which 
dazzles  the  eye  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  vanishes 
from  the  sight.  It  does  not  consist  merely  in  a  few  tran- 
sient emotions,  and  fruitless  wishes  for  the  good  of  oth- 
ers. It  does  not  waste  its  energies  in  eloquent  harangues 
on  the  beauty  of  virtue,  in  theorising  speculations  on  the 


PRACTICAL  OPERATIONS  OF  BENEVOLENCE.     177 

principles  of  morals,  in  framing  Quixotic  schemes  of 
philanthropy,  or  in  weeping  over  tales  of  fictitious  wo. 
It  is  a  substantial  and  an  ever  active  principle  ;  its  ener- 
gies are  exerted  for  the  purpose  of  communicating  happi- 
ness to  every  rank  of  sensitive  and  intellectual  beings, 
and  the  moral  world,  as  it  actually  exists,  is  the  grand 
theatre  of  its  operations.  I  have  already  endeavoured  to 
illustrate  some  of  the  modifications  of  this  affection,  in  its 
relation  to  God  ;*  and,  in  the  preceding  sections  of  this 
chapter,  have  occasionally  adverted  to  some  of  its  benig- 
nant effects  in  reference  to  man.  It  may,  however,  be 
expedient,  in  this  place,  to  enter  a  little  more  explicitly 
into  the  practical  operation  of  benevolence,  and  the  va- 
rious modes  by  which  its  influence  may  be  manifested  in 
relation  to  our  brethren  of  mankind. 

The  grand  object  which  love  proposes  to  accomplish 
is  the  communication  of  happiness.  And,  in  order  to 
stimulate  and  direct  us  in  its  operations,  the  character 
and  agency  of  God  are  set  before  us  as  our  examplar. 
There  is  not  a  more  amiable,  attractive,  nor  comprehen- 
sive idea  of  the  Divine  Being  any  where  to  be  found  than 
that  which  is  exhibited  by  the  Aposde  John,  in  three 
words — God  is  love.  He  is  the  eternal,  uncreated  Source 
of  felicity,  from  which  flow  all  those  streams  of  joy  which 
gladden  the  hearts  of  angels  and  arch'angels,  cherubim 
and  seraphim  ;  and  whatever  portion  of  happiness,  sen- 
sitive or  intellectual,  is  enjoyed  by  man  on  earth,  and  by 
all  the  subordinate  tribes  of  animated  nature,  is  derived 
from  the  same  inexhaustible  fountain.  For  the  purpose 
of  communicating  happiness,  he  called  the  material  uni- 
verse into  existence,  to  serve  as  an  immense  theatre,  on 
which  his  benevolence  might  be  displayed  to  countless 
orders  of  sensitive  and  intelligent  creatures  ;  and  all  the 
perfections  of  his  nature  may  be  considered  as  so  many 
agents  employed  for  the  execution  of  this  noble  design. 
Impelled,  as  it  were,  by  this  essential  and  characteristic 
affection  of  the  Divine  Mind,  all  the  attributes  of  Deity 
are    incessantly     operating     throughout     the    immensity 


*  See  pages  85—95. 
15* 


178  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   RELIGION, 

of  creation  in  the  view  of  the  inhabitants   of  all  worlds. 
His  Omnipotence  is  employed  in   supporting  the  worlds  al- 
ready created,  and  in  bringing  new  systems,  and  new  or- 
ders of  beings  into  existence  ;  and  his  Wisdom,\n(\e\'mng^ 
selecting,  and  arranging  tliose   means  which  are   requisite 
for  accomplishing  the   plans   of  benevolence.       Towards 
those  wretched  beings  who  have  abnsed  his  goodness,  and 
wandered  from  happiness,  his   Mercy  is   proclaimed  ;  and 
his  Patience  and  forbearance  are  long  exercised,  in  order 
to  lead  them  to  repentance,   and  to  the  paths   of  felicity. 
His  Justice,  conjoined  with  his  power,  is  exercised  for  the 
purpose  of  restraining  the  efforts  of  malevolence,  for  pre- 
venting the  inroads  of  anarchy  and  confusion,  and  for  pre- 
serving the  order  and  happiness  of  the  intelligent  creation. 
In  this  view,  all  the  judgments,  however  dreadful  and  ap- 
palling, which  have  been   inflicted  on  the   workers  of  ini- 
quity in  every  age,  have  had  a  tendency  to  accomplish  the 
purposes  of  benevolence,  in  reference  to  the  universal  sys- 
tem.    For,  the  general  good  of  God's    universal    empire, 
considered  as   one  whole,  must  be  viewed  as   the  great  end 
which  benevolence  is  accomplishing,  and  the  partial  exclu- 
sions   from   happiness,  which  now   happen  in  the  case  of 
certain  classes  of  moral  agents,  must  be  regarded  as  neces- 
sary arrangements  subservient  to  this  important  end.     His 
infinite  Knowledge,  extending  to   all   events,    past,  present, 
and  to  come  ;  and  his  Omniscient  eye,  piercing  into  the  se- 
cret purposes  of  every  heart,   surveying  the  various  tribes 
of  men,  and  the  circumstances  of  all  the  worlds  which  float 
in  the  immensity  of  space,  and  comprehending  the   remot- 
est consequences  of   all    actions    throughout   infinite  dura- 
tion, enable  Him,  in  every  instance,  to  form  those  arrange- 
ments by  which  the  objects  of  benevolence  may  be  acconi- 
phshed  on  the  most  extensive  scale,  and  by  which  the  ev- 
erlasting happiness  of  the  holy  and  intelligent  system  may 
be  most  effectually  secured. 

For  the  purpose  of  displaying  his  love  to  the  moral  in- 
telligences of  our  world,  he  has  given  us  a  revelation  of  his 
character  and  will ;  he  has  exhibited  his  .law  as  a  law  of 
love  ;  he  has  promised  the  agency  of  his  holy  8pirit,  to 
produce  in  us  those  dispositions  which  his  law  requires  ; 
and  he  has  given  tlio  most  allbcling  display  of  his  love,  in 
the  mission  of  his  Son   into  the  world.     "In  this,"  says 


PRACTICAL    OPERATIONS    OF    BENEVOLENCE.  179 

llie  Apostle  John,  '^  was  manifested  the  love  of  God  to- 
wards us  ;  because  that  God  sent  his  only  begotten  Son 
into  the  world,  that  we  might  live  through  him.  Herein 
is  love,  not  that  we  loved  God,  but  that  he  loved  us,  and 
sent  his  Son  to  be  a  propitiation  for  our  sins.  Beloved,  if 
God  so  loved  us,  how  ought  we  to  love  one  another  V 

Now,  we  are  commanded  in  the  Sacred   Scriptures,  to 
be  imitators  of  God  in  his  benevolent  operations,   and   es- 
pecially in  those  cases  in  which  love  requires  to  surmount 
every  obstacle,  and  to  exert  all  its  powers   in  opposition 
to    hatred,    enmity,  and    ingratitude.     "  Be    ye   perfect," 
says  our  Saviour,  "  as  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven  is 
perfect.       Love    your  enemies ;    bless   them    who    curse 
you ;  do  good  to  them  who  hate  you  ;  and  pray  for  them 
who  despitefuUy  use  you  and   persecute  you.     That  you 
may  be  the  children  of  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven : 
for  he  maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good ; 
and   sendeth   rain  on   the  just  and   on    the  unjust.''''     So 
that  his  enemies  subsist  on  his  bounty,   and    are  cheered 
and  refreshed  by  his  providential  care. — In  like   manner, 
the  operation  of  love  on  the  part  of  man  may  be  consider- 
ed as  the  whole  energy  of  an  intelligent   mind,  directing 
its  faculties  of  perception,  judgment,  reasoning,  and  imag- 
ination, along  with  its  physical  powers,  to  the  production 
of  happiness  both  among  friends  and  enemies,  so  far  as 
its  influence  can  extend.     In  the  prosecution  of  this  noble 
end,  man  becomes  "  a  worker  together  with  God,"  a  sub- 
ordinate agent  in  carrying  forward  those  plans   of  Infinite 
Benevolence  which  will  issue  in  the  ultimate  happiness  of 
the  moral  universe.     And,  as  the  Almighty,  in  his  bene- 
volent operations,  preserves  the  harmony  of  the   universe 
by  certain  laws  of  Older  which  he    has  established,   as  is 
apparent  in  t1ie  arrangement  of  the  planetary  system,  and 
in    the  physical  and  moral    economy    of  our   terrestrial 
sphere  ;  so  it  is  the  duty  of  man,  in  all  the  movements   to 
which  love  impels  him,  to  imitate  his  Creator  in  this  re- 
spect, and  to  employ  the  intellectual  faculties  with  which 
he  is  endued,  for  regulating  the  exercise  of  the  benevo- 
lent principle,   fo  radapting    and  proportionating  means  to 
ends,  and  for  discriminating  between  rational  and  enthu- 
siastic schemes  of  exertion ;  so  that  order  may  facilitate 


180  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

his  movements,  and  that  the  greatest   sum   of  happiness 
may  result  from  his  active  endeavours. 

We  may  now  attend  more  particularly  to  the  practical 
operations  of  love,  and  the  objects  towards  which  it  should 
be  directed. 

The  principal  objects  towards  which  our  benevolence 
should  be  directed  are,  intelligent  beings ;  and,  in  the 
sphere  of  action  to  which  we  are  at  present  confined,  man 
is  the  chief  object  whom  we  have  it  in  our  power  to  ben- 
efit by  our  benevolent  exertions.  Our  benevolent  affec- 
tions, indeed,  ought  to  expand  towards  all  the  holy  in- 
telligences of  which  we  have  any  intimation  ;  and,  in  an- 
other stage  of  our  existence,  we  may  have  an  opportunity 
of  mingling  with  other  orders  of  intellectual  beings,  and 
of  co-operating  with  them  in  diffusing  happiness  through- 
out the  universe  :  but,  while  we  continue  in  this  sublu- 
nary region,  the  improvement  and  happiness  of  our  fellow- 
men  is  the  chief  object  to  which  our  exertions  must  nec- 
essarily be  confined  ;  and  when  we  view  the  present  state 
of  the  moral  world,  in  all  nations  and  climates,  we  behold 
a  field  of  exertion  sufficiently  ample  to  employ  all  the  en- 
ergies of  benevolence  that  hare  ever  yet  been  displayed, 
or,  perhaps,  ever  will  be  displayed,  during  the  existing 
economy  of  our  world. 

Man  may  be  considered  in   two  points  of  view — as  pos- 
sessed of  a  hody^  which  is  susceptible  of  agreeable  or  disa- 
greeable sensations  and  feelings  ;   and,   as    endued  with  a 
mind^  or  spiritual  principle,  which   is  capable  of  perpetual 
improvement  in  knowledge   and  virtue,   and  which  is  des- 
tined  to  an  endless    existence.       In   both    these   respects. 
Love  will  exert  its  powers  in  meliorating  the  condition  and 
promoting  the  enjoyments  of  mankind.      In  regard  to  his 
corporeal  system,  Man  has  various  wff;/;^' which  require  to  be 
supplied,  and  he  is  subjected  to  various  5 /(^'m;^^^  which  re- 
quire to  be  soothed  and  alleviated.     lie   stands  in  need  of 
ibod,  raiment,  shelter  from  the  blasts  of  the  tempests  ;  com- 
fortable lodging  and  accommodation  ;    light  to   cheer  and 
enable  him  to  prosecute   his    employments  ;    pure    atmos- 
pheric  air   to   invigorate    his    animal    system,    and  water 
to    cleanse    and   refresh   him.      He    is    exposed    to    cor- 
poreal weakness  and  to  mental  imbecility  ;    to  pain,  sick- 
ness, and  disease  ;  to  the  loss  of  sight,  of  hearing,  and  of 


PRACTICAL  OPERATIONS  OF  BENEVOLENCE.    181 

bodily  feelings  ;  to  the  decrepitude  of  old  age  ;  and  to  all 
those  lingering  disorders  which  terminate  in  dissolution. 
He  is  also  exposed  to  the  afflictions  occasioned  by  the 
loss  of  friends  and  relatives  ;  to  dejection  of  mind  ;  to  re- 
morse of  conscience ;  to  doubt,  despondency,  and  des- 
pair ;  and  to  a  long  train  of  anxieties,  vexations,  perplex- 
ities, and  troubles  of  various  kinds.  Now,  in  reference 
to  the  wants  of  mankind,  love,  when  genuine  and  ardent, 
will  endeavour  to  supply  them,  wherever  a  deficiency  is 
known  to  exist  ;  and,  in  reference  to  their  calamities  and 
sorrows,  it  will  use  its  utmost  exertions  to  relieve,  and  as- 
suage them,  in  as  far  as  its  powers  and  influence  can  ex- 
tend. In  this  respect,  every  one,  however  low  his  situa- 
tion in  Hfe,  however  limited  the  range  of  his  knowledge, 
and  however  contracted  the  sphere  of  his  influence  may 
be,  has  it  in  his  power,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  to  com- 
municate blessings  to  his  brethren  of  mankind.  He  can 
visit  the  sick-bed  of  an  afflicted  neighbour ;  he  can  sup- 
ply a  cup  of  cold  water  to  cool  his  parched  tongue  ;  he 
can  wipe  the  sweat  from  his  forehead  ;  he  can  smooth  his 
pillow  ;  he  can  turn  him  round  on  his  bed  of  languishing, 
that  he  may  enjoy  a  more  comfortable  repose  ;  and  he 
can  cheer  him  with  those  expressions  of  tenderness  and 
aflfection,  which  have  a  tendency,  above  all  other  acts  of 
kindness,  to  sooth  and  revive  the  downcast  spirit.  He 
can  assist  his  neighbour  by  his  strength  or  by  his  skill,  by 
his  counsel  and  aclvice,  and  by  taking  a  lively  interest  in 
his  concerns  :  he  can  promote  his  joy,  by  rejoicing  in  his 
prosperity  and  success,  by  assisting  him  in  his  employ- 
ment, by  rescuing  him  from  danger,  by  forgiving  the  in- 
juries he  may  have  received,  by  acknowledging  the  worth 
of  the  skill,  virtues,  and  endowments  of  which  he  is  pos- 
sessed, and  by  listening,  with  patience  and  complacency, 
to  his  sentiments,  complaints,  or  grievances.  He  can 
even  promote  the  happiness  of  his  neighbour  in  a  negative 
way,  by  not  injuring  him  in  his  character  or  reputation  ; 
by  not  standing  in  the  way  of  his  prosperity  or  advance- 
ment ;  by  not  thwarting  him  in  his  schemes  and  enter- 
prises ;  by  not  interrupting  him  in  his  innocent  amuse- 
ments ;  and  by  refraining  from  every  thing  that  would 
tend  unnecessarily  to  injure  him  in  his  trade  or  profession. 
Such  friendly   attentions  to  promote  the    comfort   of  his 


182  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

fellow-men,  every  one  has  it  in  his  power  to  bestow  ;  and, 
upon  such  apparently  trivial  actions,  the  happiness  of  man- 
kind in  general  more  immediately  depends,  than  on  many 
of  those  legislative  arrangements  which  arrest  the  atten- 
tion of  a  whole  empire.  For,  were  they  universally  per- 
formed, tlie  greater  part  of  the  miseries  which  afflict  hu- 
manity would  disappear  from  the  world. 

But,  in  cases  where  a  high  degree  of  intellectual  talent, 
of  wealth,  and  of  influence  is  possessed,  love  is  enabled 
to  take  a  wider  range  in  its  beneficent  operations — by  en- 
deavouring to  counteract  public  evils,  and  to  promote  ra- 
tional schemes  of  general  philanthropy.  When  ^ve  take 
a  survey  of  the  condition  of  the  great  mass  of  the  lower 
orders  of  society,  we  find  them  labouring  under  many 
physical  evils  and  inconveniences,  which  have  a  tenden- 
cy to  injure  their  health  and  their  comfort,  and  to  obstruct 
their  moral  and  intellectual  improvement.  In  their  private 
habitations,  v/e  find  multitudes  of  them  residing  in  pla- 
ces where  they  are  almost  deprived  of  light,  and  of  pure 
air ;  and  surrounded  with  noxious  effluvia,  putrid  smells, 
and  every  thing  that  is  insalubrious  and  offensive  to  the 
senses.  We  find  whole  families  packed  into  a  narrow 
apartment  of  twelve  feet  square,  in  a  narrow  lane  where 
the  rays  of  the  sun  never  penetrate,  where  the  refreshing 
breeze  is  seldom  felt,  and  where  the  beauties  of  nature  are 
never  beheld.  In  public  manufactories  we  find  hundreds 
of  men,  women,  and  children,  with  pale  faces,  and  ema- 
ciated looks,  breathing  a  polluted  atmosphere  half-poisoned 
with  deleterious  fumes,  steam,  smoke,  or  noxious  gases. 
In  larffe  cities  we  find  numbers  of  children,  throuo^h  the 
carelessness  and  unprincipled  disposition  of  their  parents, 
left  to  wallow  in  filth  and  wretchedness,  without  even 
rags  to  cover  their  nakedness,  and  encouraged  in  the  hab- 
its of  pilfering,  and  of  every  other  vice  which  can  debase 
their  minds  and  render  them  pests  to  society  ;  and  we  be- 
hold others  doomed  to  the  degrading  employment  of  chim- 
ney sweepinjT,  deprived  of  the  attentions  which  flow  from 
the  tender  affection  of  parents,  and  subjected  to  the  harsh 
treatment  of  unfeeling  masters.  We  behold  multitudes 
of  human  beings  torn  from  their  families,  and  their  na- 
tive land,  cooped  up  in  an  infernal  floating  dungeon,  car- 
ried to  a  foreign  land,  sold  like  cattle  to  an  avaricious  plan- 


PRACTICAL    OPERATIONS     OF    BENEVOLENCE.  183 

ter,  and  held  in  the  chains  of  perpetual  slavery.  In  refer- 
ence to  all  these,  and  similar  evils  which  exist  in  human 
society,  love  will  exert  its  energies,  either  to  alleviate  or 
to  remove  them.  It  will  induce  one  individual  to  investi- 
gate their  causes,  to  point  out  the  proper  means  of  reme- 
dy, and  to  publish  to  the  world  the  result  of  his  delibera- 
tions and  researches.  It  will  induce  another  to  apply  the 
discoveries  of  natural  science,  and  the  inventions  of  art 
to  the  purpose  of  improving  the  physical  condition  of  man- 
kind. It  will  induce  a  third  individual,  in  conjunction  with 
others,  to  form  rational  plans  of  melioration,  and  to  organ- 
ize societies  to  carry  them  into  effect :  and,  it  will  impel 
others  to  come  forward  with  their  wealth  and  influence  to 
provide  the  means  for  carrying  forward,  on  the  most  exten- 
sive scale,  the  plans  of  general  beneficence.  In  short, 
the  whole  machinery  of  nature  and  art,  of  mind  and  mat- 
ter, of  religion  and  literature,  of  science  and  legislation, 
would  be  set  in  motion  to  promote  the  external  enjoy- 
ments of  mankind,  were  love  a  predominant  principle  in 
human  society.  Cottages,  on  commodious  and  healthy 
plans,  would  be  reared  for  the  industrious  poor ;  streets 
would  be  formed,  and  gardens  allotted  them,  for  their  plea- 
sure and  accommodation  :  public  manufactories  would  be 
arranged  and  regulated  in  such  a  manner  as  to  contribute 
to  health,  to  comfort,  and  to  rational  improvement  ;*  the 
children  of  the  poor  would  be  fed  and  clothed,  and  train- 
ed  up    to  habits   of     industry   and   virtue ;  employment 


*  Some  may  be  disposed  to  insinuate,  that  such  attempts  would 
be  altogether  visionary,  and  could  never  be  realized.  But  I  would 
ask  such  persons,  Have  such  schemes  ever  been  attempted 
to  be  reahzed  on  an  extensive  scale  ?  Has  the  promotion  of  the 
health  and  comfort  of  the  industrious  poor  ever  become  a  particu- 
lar object  of  attention  to  the  legislature,  to  men  of  rank  and  influ- 
ence, and  to  the  whole  class  of  opulent  manufacturers  ?  Is  it  not 
a  fact,  that  while  the  acquisition  of  wealth  is  made  the  main  object  of 
attention,  the  melioration  of  the  condition  of  the  industrious  labourer 
and  mechanic  is  either  altogether  overlooked,  or  viewed  as  a  very  sub- 
ordinate object  of  attention  ?  He  is  generally  left  to  shift  for  himself 
the  best  way  he  can,  and  left  to  breathe  in  an  impure  atmosphere 
without  any  particidar  sacrifice  being  made  to  remedy  the  evil.  I 
venture  to  affirm,  that,  were  the  comfort  of  the  lower  orders  of  sociev- 
ty  made  as  particular  an  object  of  attention  as  is  the  acquisition  of 
wealth,  every  obstacle  to  its  accomplishment  would  soon  be  removed, 


184  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   RELIGION. 

would  be  provided  for  all  classes  of  labourers  and  mechan- 
ics, and  subsistence  furnished  when  employment  could 
not  be  procured ;  idleness  would  be  universally  discour- 
aged, and  honourable  industry  would  be  rewarded  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  afford  not  only  the  comforts,  but  even 
many  of  the  luxuries  of  life  ;  slavery,  in  every  shape,  with 
all  its  injustice  and  cruelties,  would  be  abolished,  and  ra- 
tional liberty  would  be  proclaimed  among  all  ranks  and  in 
every  clime. 

Thus  the  man  in  whose  heart  love  presides,  takes  a 
lively  and  sincere  interest  in  every  thing  that  has  a  tenden- 
cy to  promote  the  external  comfort  and  welfare  of  his 
neighbour.  He  is  compassionate  and  merciful,  gentle  and 
indulgent,  kind  and  tender-hearted,  generous  and  humane  ; 
he  feels  for  the  sorrows  of  suffering  humanity,  and  his 
wealth  and  activity  are  directed  to  relieve  the  distresses  of 
the  poor  and  the  afflicted,  to  feed  the  hungry,  to  clothe 
the  naked,  to  protect  the  widow  and  the  orphan,  to  en- 
courage honest  industry,  to  meliorate  the  condition  of  the 
useful  mechanic,  and  to  increase  and  extend  his  com- 
forts and  enjoyments.  Of  such  a  one  it  may  be  said,  in 
the  language  of  Job,  "  He  is  eyes  to  the  blind,  feet  to  the 
lame,  and  a  father  to  the  poor.  When  the  ear  hears 
him,  then  it  blesses  him,  and  when  the  eye  sees  him,  it 
gives  witness  to  him  ;  because  he  delivers  the  poor  that 
cries,  and  the  fatherless,  and  him  that  hath  none  to  help 
him.  The  blessing  of  him  that  was  ready  to  perish, 
comes  upon  him,  and  he  causes  the  widow's  heart  to  sing 
for  joy." 

But  the  activities  of  benevolence  are  not  confined  to  tlie 
communication  of  sensitive  enjoyments.  Man  is  a  rational 
and  immortal,  as  well  as  a  sensitive  being  ;  and  the  ope- 
rations of  genuine  love  will  have  for  their  ultimate  object 
the  promotion  of  his  best  interests  as  a  moral  and  intellec- 
tual agent,  and  as  an  heir  of  immortality. 

When  we  consider  man  as  an  intellectual  being,  stand- 
ing in  various  important  relations  to  his  God,  and  to  his 
fellow-creatures,  we  behold  numerous  evils  which  require 
to  be  remedied,  as  well  as  in  the  circumstances  of  his  phy- 
sical condition.  Though  the  human  mind  is  capable  of  vast 
expansion,  of  acquiring  an  immense  number  of  sublime 
and   interesting  ideas,  and  of  enjoying    the  purest  plea- 


PRACTICAL    OPERATIONS    OF    BENEVOLENCE.  185 

sure  in  contemplating  the  objects  >3^hich  lie  "within  ks 
range>  yet  it  is  a  melancholy  fact,  that  in  ail  ages,  mental 
darkness  has  enveloped  the  great  majority  of  our  race  ; 
and  that  the  grossest  ignorance  of  the  most  important 
truths,  accompanied  with  the  most  degrading  affections, 
still  prevails  among  the  greater  part  of  the  population  of 
every  region  of  the  globe.  We  need  not  go  to  the  frozen 
climes  of  Lapland  and  Labrador  ;  to  the  filthy  huts  of  the 
Greeniander  and  the  Esquimaux,  to  the  rude  savages'of 
Nootka  Sound,  to  the  degraded  tribes  of  New  Holland, 
and  Van  Dieman's  land,  to  the  wild  and  wretched  Boshe- 
men  and  Caffres,  or  to  the  swarthy  song  of  Central  Africa, 
in  order  to  be  convinced  of  this  lamentable  truth.  We 
need  only  look  around  us  among  the  various  ranks  of  our 
own  population,  and  we  shall  not  fail  to  see  ignorance,  in 
all  its  diversified  forms,  exerting  its  malign- infiu en ce  over 
the  minds  of  men,  accompanied  with  superstition,  enthu- 
siasm, bigotry,  intolerance,  and  every  grovelling  aifection 
that  can  debase  the  human  mind.  Multitudes  of  the 
young,  both  in  the  city  and  in  the  country,  are  suffered  to 
shoot  up  from  infancy  to  manhood,  as  if  they  were  mere 
animal  existences,  ignordnt  of  the  character  and  operations 
of  God,  of  the  duties  they  owe  to  their  Creator  and  to  one 
another,  and  of  the  eternal  state  of  existence  to  which  they 
are  destined.  Even  in  many  of  those  places  where  instruc- 
tion is  attempted  to  be  communicated,  what  a  pitiful  pic- 
ture is  exhibited  of  the  results  of  education,  and  of  the 
folly  which  attaches  itself  to  the  character  of  man  !  The 
pronunciation  of  a  number  of  unmeaning  words,  the  re- 
citing of  passages  which  the  young  cannot  understaad, 
the  repetition  of  a  few  propositions  in  religion  to  which 
no  idieas  are  attached,  and  the  casting  of  a  few  ac£ounts, 
are  considered  as  sufficient  to  lead  them  forward  in  the 
path  of  knowledge  and  virtue  ;  and  are  substituted  in  the 
place  of  those  definite  and  lufninous  instructions  whicli 
are  requisite  to  expand  the  opejiin^  intellect,  to  convey 
distinct  ideas  to  the  mind,  to  unfold  the  scenes  of  creation 
and  providence,  to  display  the  clfaracter  of  God,  and  to 
train  up  the  youthful  mind  to  glory  and  immortality. 

Now,   in  referenqe  to  the  ignorance   which  prevails  in 
ibe  world,  love  to  rnan,  asT  an  intellectual  being,  will  ex- 
cite to  active  endeavours  in  order  to  coiyiteiapt  its  infiu- 
16 


186  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    PvELIGION. 

t 

encc.  It  will  prove  an  excitement  to  the  erection  of  sem- 
inaries of  instruction  wherever  they  are  deficient  ;  it  will 
patronise  every  scheme,  and  every  exertion  by  which 
knowledge  may  be  increased  ;  and  will  diffuse  mental  il- 
lumination as  far  as  the  sphere  of  its  influence  extends. 
It  will  not  rest  satisfied  with  the  form  of  instruction  with- 
out the  substance — with  the  elements  of  language  without 
the  elements  of  thought — with  the  key  of  knowledge 
without  knowledge  itself ;  but  will  devise  rational  plans 
ftr  conveying  substantial  information  to  the  minds  of  the 
young,  so  as  to  win  their  afi'ections,  arrest  their  attention, 
and  carry  them  forward  with  pleasure  in  the  paths  of  im- 
provement. It  will  not  offer  them  stones  and  ashes  in- 
stead of  bread,  but  will  spread  before  them  an  intellectual 
feast,  and  "  feed  them  with  knowledge  and  understand- 
ino-."  It  will  not  confine  its  attention  merely  to  the  in- 
struction of  the  young ;  but  will  endeavour,  by  writing, 
by  conversation,  by  lectures,  by  lending  and  ciraulating 
books,  by  establishing  public  libraries,  and  by  organizing 
rational  and  scientific  institutions — to  diffuse  the  rays  of 
intellectual  light  among  men  of  all  ages,  ranks,  and  pro- 
fessions ;  and  will  never  cease  its  exertions,  till  ignorance, 
with  all  its  degrading  accompaniments,  be  banished  from 
society,  and  till  the  light  of  truth  illuminate  the  inhabitants 
of  every  land.  In  a  word,  it  will  endeavour  to  render  ev- 
ery branch  of  knowledge  subservient  to  the  illustration  of 
the  character  and  the  revelation  of  God,  and  to  the  prepar- 
ing of  mankind  for  the  employments  of  that  nobler  state 
of  existence  to  which  they  are  destined. 

Again,  as  man  is  possessed  of  an  immortal  nature,  and, 
in  his  present  state  of  sin  and  degradation,  is  exposed  to 
ij^isery  in  the  future  world — so  it  is  one  of  the  highest  offi- 
ces 0^  love  to  endeavour  to  promote  the  eternal  salvation 
of  mankind.  For  the  accomplishment  of  this  important 
object  all  its  activities  are  concentrated,  and  all  its  other 
labours  are  rendered  subservient.  To  improve  the  physi- 
cal condition  of  man  as  a  sensitive  being,  and  to  enlarge 
his  knowledge  as  an  intellectual,  while  we  overlook  his 
eternal  interests,  is  to  aeglect  one  of  the  most  important 
duties  of  Christian  philanthropy.  The  sensitive  enjoy- 
ments of  man  are  conducive  to  his  happiness  so  long  as 
they  continue  ;  and  "  knowledge  is  pleasaat  to  the  soul." 


PRACTICAL    OFEKATIONS    OF    BEJsEVOLENXE.  187 

But  what  are  all  the  acquisitions  and  enjoyments  of  time, 
when  compared  with  the  concerns  of  eternity  !  and  what 
will  they  avail,  if  their  possessor  be  found  unqualified  for 
the  employments  of  an  endless  life  !  If  the  soul  of  man  be 
an  immortal  principle,  and  if  the  least  danger  exists  of  its 
being  deprived,  through  ignorance  and  guilt,  of  happiness 
in  the  future  world,  no  words  can  express  the  importance 
which  ought  to  be  attached  to  this  "  labour  of  love." 
"  What  will  it  profit  a  man  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole 
world  and  lose  his  own  soul  1  or  what  shall  a  man  give  in 
exchange  for  his  soul  ?"  And,  therefore,  the  man  in  whose 
breast  true  benevolence  resides,  will  consider  the  eternal 
happiness  of  his  fellow-immortals  as  the  grand  and  ultimate 
object,  which  ought  always  to  be  kept  in  view,  and  will 
exert  all  his  faculties,  powers,  and  influence,  in  order  to  its 
accomplishment.  He  will  not  rest  satisfied  with  prayers 
and  wishes  for  the  salvation  of  men  ;  he  will  not  wait  for* 
any  extraordinary  afflatus  of  the  Divine  Spirit ;  but  will 
prosecute,  with  judgment  and  perseverance,  that  course  of 
active  duty,  which  has  a  tendency  to  produce  the  desired 
effect.  So  far  as  the  circle  of  his  influence  extends,  he 
will  endeavour  to  instruct  the  ignorant,  to  arouse  the  care- 
less, to  reclaim  the  dissipated,  to  convince  the  sceptic,  to 
train  up  the  young  in  the  knowledge  of  God,  and  in  the 
paths  of  virtue,  and  to  encourage  and  animate  every  one 
who  is  enquiring  the  way  to  eternal  life.  He  will  exhibit 
religion  in  its  most  amiable,  and  attractive,  and  sublime 
aspects  ;  and  will  endeavour  to  fix  the  attention  on  the 
lovely  tempers,  and  the  beneficial  effects  which  the  observ- 
ance of  its  precepts  has  a  tendency  to  produce.  He  will 
not  make  it  his  chief  object  to  convert  men  to  the  belief  of 
certain  metaphysical  dogmas  in  religion,  nor  to  gain  them 
over  to  embrace  the  peculiarities  of  a  party ;  but  to  pro- 
duce in  their  minds  a   cordial   acquiescence  in  the  plan  of 


*  For  a  long  period  it  was  the  practice  of  many  Eood  men  to  pray 
for  the  extension  of  the  means  of  salvation,  and  for  the  arrival  of  the 
time,  "  When  all  shall  know  the  LoTd."  They  seem  to  have  expect- 
ed, that  in  some  extraordinary  and  perhaps  miraculous  manner  the 
world  would  suddenly  be  brought  under  the  influence  of  divine  truth  ; 
and  hence  they  almost  entirely  overlooked  the  means,  which  God 
had  appointed  for  the  accomplishment  of  this  noble  object. 

Am.  Editor. 


188  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

salvation  which  the  Gospel  exhibits,  a  reverence  of  the 
divine  character  and  perfections,  a  desire  to  cultivate  holy 
tempers,  and  a  fixed  determination  to  walk  in  the  paths  of 
God's  commandments. 

Such  a  character  will  give  every  due  encouragement  by 
his  advice,  and  by  his  wealth,  to  Christian  churches,  and 
to  faithful  and  intelligent  ministers  of  religion.  He  will 
patronise  eveiy  rational  scheme  which  has  ibr  its  object  to 
propagate  the  gospel  of  peace  among  all  nations.  He 
will  encourage  the  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  the 
languages  of  all  kindreds  and  tribes  ;  he  will  give  counte- 
nance to  societies  formed  for  circulating  the  Bible  in  for- 
eign lands ;  and  he  will  assist  in  sending  forth  'intelligent 
and  philanthropic  missionaries  to  barbarous  and  unen- 
lightened tribes,  for  the  purpose  of  diffusing  the  blessings 
of  knowledge,  civilization,  and  religion  ;  and  he  will  re- 
joice to  co-operate,  in  such  benevolent  schemes,  with  all 
who  sincerely  wish  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  their 
fellow-men,  by  whatever  name  they  are  distinguished, 
and  to  whatever  section  of  the  Christian  church  they 
may  belong. 

in  short,  love,  when  genuine  and  ardent,  will  set  itself 
in  opposition  to  every  species  of  bigotry  and  intolerance, 
and  to  all  those  petty  jealousies,  and  bitter  animosities 
which  havfe  so  long  distracted  the  Christian  Church,  which 
have  thrown  an  odium  on  its  character,  and  prevented  the 
harmonious  intercourse  of  the  followers  of  Jesus.  It  will 
make  every  sacrifice  consistent  with  the  great  objects  of 
Christianity,  and  will  use  every  appropriate  mean,  to  heal 
the  unhappy  divisions  which  exist  in  the  religious  world, 
and  to  promote  an  afiectionate  union  of  "  all  who  love 
our  Lord  Jesus  in  sincerity  ;"  in  order  that  the  Church  of 
Christ  may  form  one  compact  harmonious  body  in  oppo- 
sition to  atlieists,  sceptics,  and  the  men  of  the  world,  and 
in  order  that  every  plan  and  efix)rt  to  difiiise  the  know- 
ledge and  infiuence  of  the  C'hristian  religion  may  be  car- 
ried more  speedily  and  more  extensively  into  efi^ect. 


With  regard  to  all  the  other  branches  of  Christian  mo- 
rality, and  to  all  the  virtues  which  can  adorn  the  human 
character,  in  every  station  and  relation  in  life,  they  will  be 
found  to  flow  fjjom   the  exercise  of  the  principle  I  have 


PROGRESS  OF  BENEVOLENCE.  IS9 

now  been  illustrating,  as  naturally  as  the  sap  flows  from 
the  trunk  to  the  remotest  ramifications  of  a  tree,  or  as  the 
gas,  which  now  illuminates  our  streets  and  churchei?, 
flows  from  the  main  gasometer,  through  hundreds  of  pipes, 
to  all  the  difl'erent  burners.  Sincerity  and  veracity  in 
our  words  and  actions,  honesty  and  fair-dealing  in  trade 
and  commerce,  fidelity  to  compacts  and  engagements,  a 
regard  to  public  liberty,  an  equitable  administration  of  jus- 
tice, condescension  and  kindness  to  inferiors,  reverence 
and  respect  to  superiors,  submission  to  just  laws  and  regu- 
lations, friendship,  and  a  cordial  interchange  of  friendly 
sentiments  and  affections ;  courtesy,  civility,  aflabilrty, 
harmony,  and  good  neighbourhood ;  modesty,  chastity 
and  discretion  ;  forgiveness  of  injuries,  hospitality  to  stran- 
gers, humanity  to  servants  and  dependants,  compassion 
to  the  distressed  ;  parental,  filial,  and  fraternal  afiec- 
tion,  sympathy,  generosity,  temperance  and  fortitude,  to- 
gether with  all  the  other  social  virtues  which  unite  man  to 
man,  will  as  naturally  flow  from  the  fountain  of  love,  when 
it  exists  in  the  human  breast,  as  water  flows  from  a  reser- 
voir through  all  the  pipes  which  distribute  it  to  the  inhabi- 
tKints  of  a  large  city.  For  he  who  withholds  the  exercise 
of  such  virtues,  or  acts  in  direct  opposition  to  them,  can 
never  be  supposed  to  be  sincerely  attached  to  his  fellow- 
creatures,  or  to  consult  their  happiness  ;  and  the  meaning 
of  language  must  be  inverted  before  we  can  apply  to  him 
the  epithet  Benevolent  ;  and  the  order  of  the  moral  system 
deranged,  before  we  can  expect  happiness  to  flow  from 
such  a  conduct. 

The  cardinal  virtues  have  been  arranged  by  some  mo- 
ralists under  the  heads  of  Prudence^  Temperance^  Fortitude^ 
and  Justice.  Prudence  consists  in  judging  what  is  best,  in 
the  choice  both  of  ends  and  means,  particularly  in  refer- 
ence to  our  own  interests,  and  to  the  good  or  evil  which 
may  result  from  our  choice.  Temperance  is  that  virtue 
which  moderates  and  restrains  the  sensual  appetites.  For- 
titude is  that  calm  and  steady  habit  of  the  mind,  which  ei- 
ther enables  us  bravely  to  encounter  the  prospect  of  ill, 
or  renders  us  serene  and  invincible  under  its  immediate 
pressure.  Justice  is  that  virtue  which  impels  us  to  give 
to  every  person  what  is  his  due.  Now,  it  could  easily  be 
shown  that  love  is  the  impelling  principle  which  excites 
16* 


190  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

to  the  exercise  of  all  these  virtues.      It  will  lead  us  to  pay 
a  due  regard  to  our  own  comfort   and  interest,  but  not  so 
as  to  interfere  with  the  interests,   or  to  obstruct  the  hap- 
piness of  others.     It  will  teach  us  to  preserve  the  dominion 
of  the  soul  over  sense  and  passion,  and  to   restrain   the  in- 
fluence of  the  sensual  appetites,  from  considerations  drawn 
from  our  own  happiness,    and   from   the   good  of  others. 
For,  as  intemperance  kindles  the   fire  of  resentment,  and 
the  flames  of  lust,  excites  to  boisterous  w^ords,  and  to  law- 
less actions,  wastes  the  substance,  and  reduces  families  to 
wretchedness  and  ruin,  it  must  be  directly  opposed  to  the 
principle  of  benevolence. — It  will  inspire  us  with  a  gener- 
ous and  heroic  hidifference  to  the  precarious  possessions 
of  this  mortal  scene,  and  will  excite  to  activity   and  perse- 
verance in  promoting  human  happiness,  in  the   face  of   ev- 
ery difiiculty  and  obstruction,  and  in  spite  of  obstinacy  and 
ingratitude,  and  of  all  the  sneers  and  reproaches  that  may 
be  thrown  upon  us  on  account  of  the   singularity  of  our 
conduct.      And   as  Justice  is  nothing  else  than  the  meas- 
ure of  hcncvolence^  it  will  uniformly  direct  us  to  give  to  ev- 
ery one  his  due,  and  restrain  us  from  withholding  from  our 
neighbour  any  thing  to  which  he  is   entitled  by  equity  or 
by  law.     And  in  cases  where  the   division   of  property  is 
concerned,    it  will,  in  many  instances,  be  induced  to  re- 
linquish its  right,  when  only  a  few  paltry  pounds  or  shil- 
lings are  at  stake,  rather  than  run  the  risk  of  dissolving  the 
bonds  of  affection  and  friendship. 

The  duties  of  morality  have,  by  other  moralists,  partic- 
ularly by  the  moderns,  been  arranged  into  tJie  duties  we 
owe  to  God,  as  piety,  reverence  and  confidence  ; — the  du- 
ties we  owe  to  other  men,  as  fidelity,  loyalty,  humanity  and 
justice ;  and  the  duties  toe  owe  to  ourselves,  as  chastity, 
sobriety  and  temperance.  From  what  has  been  already 
stated,  both  in  this  and  in  several  of  the  preceding  sec- 
tions, it  will  obviously  appear,  that  all  these  classes  of 
duties  necessarily  flow  from  the  operation  of  that  primary, 
diffusive  and  ever  active  principle,  which  resides  original- 
ly in  the  Eternal  Mind,  and  which  pervades  the  minds  of 
all  holy  intelligences. 

Finally,  the  man  who  is  animated  by  the  noble  princi- 
ple of  benevolence,  will  endeavour  to  discharge  with  fidel- 
ity every  social  and  relative  duty,  and  will   feel  an  interest 


PROGRESS  OF  BENEVOLENCE.  191 

in  the  domestic  comfort,  and  the  moral  and    religious  im- 
provement of  all  around  him.     He  will  display  the   activ- 
ities of  this  holy  affection  more  immediately  in  the  family 
in  which  he  resides,  as  a  friend,  a  father,  a  husband,  a  son, 
or  a  brother  ;  performing  with   punctuality  all   the  duties 
which  such  relations  include  ;  promoting  unity,  harmony, 
affection,  and  a  reciprocal  interchange  of  all  those  offices 
of  kindness  which  tend  to  secure  mutual  confidence,  pleas- 
ure and  improvement.     From   the  family,  his   affections 
will  be  diffused  to  the  neighbourhood   around,   in  all  the 
forms  of  kindness,    compassion,  faithfulness,  forgiveness, 
chai'ity,     generosity,    humanity    and    justice.     He    will 
contemplate     every    member    of  society,    as    a  kinsman 
and  a  brother  ;  he  will  feel  a  fraternal  attachment ;  he  will 
delight  in  his  success  and  prosperity,   and  will  endeavour 
to  encourage  the  social  virtues,  and  to  multiply  the  sources 
^  of  enjoyment  wherever  his  influence  extends.     From  the 
circle  of  his  immediate  neighbourhood,  his  affections  will 
extend  over  all  the  nation  to  which  he  belongs.     Its  pros- 
perity and  advancement  in  arts,  sciences,   and  legislation ; 
its  peace  and  tranquillity,   and  the  wisdom  and  rectitude 
of  its  rulers,  will  be    the  object  of  his  fervent  prayers  to 
the   God  of    heaven.      To  watch  over  Us   interests,    to 
promote  the  improvement  of  its  constitution  and  its  laws, 
to  expose  the  intrigues  of  bribery  and  corruption,  to  re- 
sist the  efforts  of  tyranny  and  ambition,  and  to  defeat  every 
encroachment  on  its  rights  and  liberties,  in  a  manly  and 
Christian  manner,  he  will   consider  as  a  duty  which  he 
owes  to  his  fellow-subjects,  to  his  rulers,  and  to  succeed- 
ing generations.     It  will  be  his  chief  aim,  not  so  much  to 
prevent  men  from  becoming  thieves,  and  robbers,  and  mur- 
derers, as  to  make  them  pious,  virtuous  and  useful  members 
of  the  general  community  ;  that  every  one   may  live  "  a 
quiet  and  peaceable  life,  in  all  godliness  and  honesty." 

Nor  will  his  benevolence  be  confined  within  the  limits 
of  a  narrow-minded  and  selfish  patriotism  ; — his  affections 
will  expand  to  surrounding  nations,  and  embrace  the  inter- 
ests of  every  people,  and  will  excite  him  to  co-operate  in 
every  scheme  by  which  civilization  and  science,  liberty 
and  Christianity,  may  be  promoted  among  all  the  tribes 
and  kindreds  of  the  earth.  He  will  occasionally  transport 
himself  in  imagination  to  distant  climes,  and  to  the  islands 


192  THE    PPHLOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

scattered  over  the  face  of  the  ocean, — and  the  joy  or 
sorrow  which  is  felt  in  the  hut  of  the  Green  lander,  in  the 
Indian  wigwam,  or  among  the  tents  of  the  Tartars,  will 
find  access  to  his  feeling  heart.  An  inundation,  an  earth- 
quake, the  eruption  of  a  volcano,  a  destroying  pestilence, 
or  the  horrors  of  war,  happening  in  Persia,  China,  or 
Japan,  will  not  be  viewed  with  apathy  or  indifference,  be- 
cause those  countries  are  placed  thousands  of  miles  beyond 
the  boundaries  of  his  own  :  but  he  will  sympathise  in  the 
sorrows  of  those  distant  sufferers,  as  well  as  in  the  calam- 
ities which  befal  his  brethren  in  his  native  land.  Nor  will 
his  affections  be  confined  to  the  men  of  the  present  age, 
but  will  stretch  forward  to  embrace  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters, of  future  times,  who  are  destined  to  appear  on  the 
theatre  of  this  world,  in  successive  generations,  till  time 
shall  be  no  longer.  The  plans  which  he  now  forms,  the 
ground-works  of  the  improvements  which  he  is  now  estab- 
lishing, and  the  diversified  operations  of  benevolence  in 
which  he  is  now  engaged,  will  have,  for  their  ultimate  ob- 
ject, the  diffusion  of  the  light  of  science  and  of  religion, 
and  the  communication  of  happiness,  in  various  forms,  to 
unnumbered  multitudes  of  the  human  race,  after  his  spirit 
shall  have  taken  its  flight  beyond  the  bounds  of  this  ter- 
restrial sphere.  Nor  will  the  current  of  his  love  towards 
fellow-intelligences  be  bounded  by  the  limits  of  time,  and 
the  range  of  this  sublunary  system,  but  will  run  forward 
into  those  interminable  ages,  which  shall  succeed  the  dis- 
solution of  our  globe,  and  will  rise  upward  to  the  inhabi- 
tants of  those  glorious  worlds  which  roll  in  the  distant  re- 
gions of  creation.  Contemplating  the  diversified  scenes 
in  which  he  may  hereafter  be  placed,  and  the  various  or- 
ders of  intellectual  beings  with  which  he  may  mingle,  his 
soul  will  be  transported  at  the  prospect  of  entering  upon  a 
more  extensive  field  for  the  range  of  his  benevolent  affec- 
tions, and  of  being  qualified  to  receive  and  to  communi- 
cate happiness  on  a  more  enlarged  scale,  in  company  with 
other  holy  intelligences, — where  the  field  of  benevolence 
will  be  continually  expanding,  and  the  most  exquisite  de- 
light springing  up  in  his  bosom,  and  ever  increasing,  as 
eternal  ages  are  rolling  on. 

Thus,  it  appears,  that  Benevolence  is  an  expansive  and 
an  ever  active  principle,  diffusing  happiness  in  its  train 


MORAL    SYSTEMS.  193 

wherever  it  extends.  Were  an  extensive  moral  machine- 
ry to  be  set  in  action  by  this  powerful  principle,  it  is  im- 
possible to  describe  what  a  variety  of  blessings  would  soon 
be  distributed  among  mankind,  and  what  a  mighty  change 
would  be  effected  in  the  social  state  of  human  beings,  and 
on  the  whole  aspect  of  the  moral  world.  And,  from  what 
has  been  already  stated,  it  is  evident,  that,  although  intel- 
lectual talent,  wealth,  and  influence,  have  most  in  their 
power,  as  the  prime  directors  of  the  moral  machine, — yet 
there  is  no  individual  in  whom  this  principle  resides,  how- 
ever limited  his  faculties,  and  his  sphere  of  action,  but  ha.^ 
it  in  his  power  to  communicate  happiness  to  his  fellow- 
creatures,  and  to  become  at  least  a  subordinate  agent  m 
promoting  the  plans  of  universal  benevolence. 


From  what  has  been  stated  above,  and  in  several  of  the 
preceding  parts  of  this  work,  we  may  learn,  that,  in  order 
to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  our  duty,  and  of  the  motives 
which  should  stimulate  us  to  its  performance,  there  is  no 
need  to  engage  in  the  study  of  voluminous  systems  of 
Ethical  science,  or  to  perplex  the  mind  with  laboured  dis- 
qui-sitions  on  the  principles  of  Morals.  The  general  path 
of  duty  is  plain  to  every  one  who  is  inclined  to  walk  in  it ; 
and  whoever  wishes  to  be  assisted  and  directed  in  his 
progress  towards  moral  perfection,  will  find,  in  the  Prov- 
erbs of  Solomon,  the  sermons  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the 
practical  parts  of  the  apostolic  epistles,  maxims,  and  pre- 
cepts, and  motives  inculcated,  infinitely  superior  in  regard 
both  to  their  authority  and  their  excellence,  to  those  of 
all  other  systems  of  moral  philosophy,  whether  in  ancient 
or  in  modern  times.  This  seems  to  be  partly  admitted 
even  by  moral  philosophers  themselves.  The  celebrated 
Dr.  Reid,  in  his  "  Essays  on  the  Active  Powers  of  Man," 
after  a  variety  of  learned  and  abstract  discussions  on  ac- 
tive power,  and  the  principles  of  human  action,  when  treat- 
ing on  the  theory  of  morals,  says,  "  This  is  an  intricate  sub- 
ject, and  there  have  been  various  theories  and  much  contro- 
versy about  it  in  ancient  and  in  modern  times.  But  ft 
has  little  connection  with  the  knowledge  of  our  duty, 
and  those  who  differ  most  in  the  theory  of  our  moral 
powers,  agree  in  the  practical  rules  of  morals   which  they 


194  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

dictate.     As  a  man  may  be  a  good  judge  of  colours,  and 
of  the   other    visible    qualities    of    objects,    without    any 
knowledge  of  the  anatomy  of  the    eye,   and   of  the  the- 
ory of  vision ;  so  a  man  may  have  a  very  clear  and  com- 
prehensive knowledge  of  what   is  right,    and  of  what  is 
wrong  in  human  conduct,  who  never  studied  the   structure 
of  our  moral  powers. — A  good  ear  in  music  may  be  much 
improved  by  attention    and  practice  in  that    art ;  but  very 
little   by  studying  the  anatomy  of  the  ear,  and  the  theory 
of  sound.     In  order  to  acquire  a  good  eye,  or  a  good  ear, 
in  the  arts  that  require  them,  the  theory  of  vision,  and  the 
theory  of  sound,  are  by  no  means  necessary,  and  indeed 
of  very  little  use.     Of  as  little  necessity  or  use  is  what  we 
call  the  theory  of  morals^  in  order  to  improve  our  moral  judg- 
ment.''''    Reid,  "  On  the  Active  Poiucrs,''^  Essay  v.  chap.  2. 
To  a  man  who  is  familiar  with  the  Scriptures,  and  whose 
mind  has  acquired  a  relish  for   the   simplicity  and    excel- 
lence of  the    Christian    code  of  morals,    how  cold,    and 
frigid,  and  uninteresting,   do  the  laboured    disquisitions  of 
our  most  celebrated  ethical  writers    appear  !     There  is  lit- 
tle to  be  found  in  such  writings  to  kindle  the  fire  of  holy 
love,  and  to  inspire  the    soul  with  a  noble  ardour,    in  car- 
rying forward   the     plan  of    divine  benevolence.     What 
powerful  stimulus  to    exalted  virtue  can  be    expected  from 
abstract     discussions    on    active   power,    on    liberty  and 
necessity,  on  theories  of  moral  action,  on   the    reason  and 
fitness  of  things,  on  self-love,  on  public  and  private  inter- 
ests, on  the   law  of  honour,  and  the  like  ;  and  of  how   lit- 
tle, practical  utility    are  the  results    of  such  disquisitions  ; 
since  every  principle   of  action,  every   motive,   and  every 
duty  conducive  to  the  happiness  of  the  intelligent  system, 
is  laid  down  in  the  Scriptures,  with    a  plainness  and  per- 
spicuity, which   render  them  level  to  the  meanest   under- 
standing ?  And  what  shall  we  say  of  those  moralists  who 
teach  us,    that    "  modesty,    humility,    and    forgiveness  of 
injuries,"  belong  to  the   class  of  vices  ;*   and,  by    conse- 
quence,  that  pride,  imprudence,  and  revenge,   are   to  be 
ranked   among  the  virtues  ?  Such  virtue,   alas  !  has    too 
long  prevailed  in  our  degenerate  world  ;  but  were  it  uni- 


♦  This  sentiment  is  taught  by  Mr.  Hume,  and  his  followers. 


MORAL   SYSTEMS.  195 

versally  to  prevail,  it  would  transform  creation,  into  a 
ckaos,  and  banish  happiness  from  the  universe.  What 
beneficial  practical  effects  have  ever  yet  been  produced  by 
all  the  systems  of  ethics  vi^hich  have  hitherfeb  been  pub- 
lished to  the  world  1  Let  us  look  back  on  the  nations  of 
antiquity,  on  the  schools  of  Plato,  Socrates,  Epicurus, 
and  Zeno  ;  let  us  survey  the  conduct  of  our  modern  scep- 
tical philosophers,  and  the  practices  of  our  youths  who  at- 
tend courses  of  ethical  lectures  in  our  Universities  and 
academies,  and  say,  whether  the  general  depravity  of  hu- 
man nature  has  been  counteracted,  and  a  spirit  of  univer- 
sal benevolence  has  been  cherished  and  promoted  by  such 
instructions.  I  venture  to  affirm,  that  we  are  far  more  indebt- 
ed to  our  Saviour's  sermon  on  the  mount,  and  to  the  prac- 
tical writings  of  the  apostle  Paul,  for  that  portion  of  mo- 
rality which  has  given  a  polish  to  the  manners  of  modern 
society,  than  to  all  the  systems  of  ethics,  detached  from 
Christianity,  that  have  ever  been  published  by  the  phi-  ^ 
losophers  either  of  Greece  or  Rome,  or  of  the  British  em- 
pire :  and  that  it  is  only  by  following  out  the  instructions 
of  these  divine  teachers  that  we  can  expect  to  see  the 
world  regenerated,  and  vice  and  iniquity  banished  from 
our  struts. 

In  throwing  out  the  preceding   hints,  I  have   confined 
iny  attention  chiefly  to  the  intelligent  creation.     But  it  is 
evident,  that  where  a  principle  of   genuine  love  actuates 
the  mind,   it   will   extend  its  benevolent  regards  even  to 
the  lower  orders  of  animated  existence.     Towards  them 
the  Creator  has  displayed  his  benevolence,  as  well  as  to- 
wards man.     He  has  framed  their  bodies  in  as  curious 
and  admirable   a  manner,  as  the  bodies  of  mankind.     He 
has  bestowed  upon  them  organs  of  sensation  exactly  adapt- 
ed to  the  situations  they  occupy,  and  to  their  various  modes 
of  subsistence.     He  has  formed  them  with  instincts  which 
enable  them  to  construct  their  habitations,  to  select  their 
food,  to  protect  themselves  from  danger,  and  to  choose  the 
fittest  places  for  bringing  forth  their  young.       He  has  pro- 
vided, in  the  different  departments  of  nature,  all  that  va- 
riety of  food  which  is  requisite  to  supply  the  wants  of  the 
whole  of  that  immense  assemblage  of  living  beings  which 
traverse  the  aiir,  the  waters,  and  the  earth.     "  These  all 
wait  upon  Hira^  and  he  giveth  them  their  meat  in  due 


196  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

season."  Their  sportive  motions,  their  varied  movements, 
and  the  delight  with  which  tliey  seem  to  exercise  their 
faculties,  testify,  that  they  are  the  objects  of  the  benefi- 
cence of  their  Almighty,  though  unknown  Maker.  So 
that  God  not  only  takes  care  of  men,  but  of  the  fishes  of 
the  sea,  the  creeping  insects,  and  the  fowls  of  ha-aven, 
for  "  a  sparrow  cannot  fall  to  the  ground''  without  his 
providential  permission. 

This  benevolent  care  of  the  Creator,  which  extends  to 
the  lowest  order  of  his  creatures,  instructs  us,  that  our 
benevolence  also  should  be  displayed  towards  the  inferior 
ranks  of  sensitive  existence — that  w^e  should  not  only  ab- 
stain from  vexing,  and  torturing,  and  unnecessarily  depriv- 
ing them  of  existence ;  but  should  endeavour  to  promote 
their  comfort  and  enjoyment.  It  was  the  object  of  several 
of  the  laws  delivered  to  the  Jews,  to  inculcate  compassioo 
and  humanity  towards  their  domestic  animals  :  and  Solo- 
mon lays  it  down  as  a  moral  maxim,  that  "  the  right- 
eous man  regardeth  the  life  of  his  beast."  Benevolence 
will  display  itself,  in  the  shape  of  tenderness  and  human- 
ity, towards  every  creature  that  is  endowed  with  feeling 
and  sensation  ;  but  it  cannot  be  supposed  to  have  a  pow- 
erful influence  over  that  man  who  can  wantonly  torture  a 
poor  fly,  lash  a  feeble  old  horse,  wound  a  bird  or  a 
hare  for  mere  sport,  twirl  a  cockchafTer  on  a  crooked  pin, 
or  even  intentionally  trample  under  foot  a  snail  or  a  worm, 
that  is  doing  him  no  injury.  The  benevolent  man  rejoices 
in  the  happiness  of  all  creation  around  him  :  and,  were 
this  disposition  universally  prevalent,  not  only  should  we 
sec  cock-fighting,  dog-fighting,  bull-bailing,  and  othor  cruel 
and  degrading  sports,  forever  abolished,  but  should 
form  a  more  delightful  intercourse  with  many  of  the  lower 
animals  than  we  have  ever  yet  enjoyed. — The  Arabians 
never  beat  their  horses ;  they  never  cut  their  tails  ;  they 
treat  them  gently  ;  they  speak  to  them,  and  seem  to  hold 
n  discourse  ;  they  nse  them  as  friends ;  they  never  at- 
t4impt  to  increase  their  speed  by  the  whip,  nor  spur  them, 
but  in  cases  of  great  necessity.  They  never  fix  them  to  a 
stake  in  the  fields,  but  suft'er  them  to  pasture  at  large 
around  their  habitations  ;  and  they  come  running  the  mo^* 
ment  that  they  hear  the  sound  of  their  master's  voice.  In 
consequence  of  such  treatment,  these  animals  become  do- 


BENEVOLENCE    TOWARDS    ANIMALS.  197 

cile  and  tractable  in  the  highest  degree.  They  resort  at 
night  to  their  tents,  and  lie  down  in  the  midst  of  the 
children,  without  ever  hurting  them  in  the  slightest  de- 
gree. The  little  boys  and  girls  are  often  seen  upon  the 
body  or  the  neck  of  the  mare,  while  the  beasts  continue  in- 
offensive and  harmless,  permitting  them  to  play  with  and 
caress  them  without  injury. — Several  species  of  birds  have 
a  natural  attachment  to  the  habitations  of  man ;  but  his 
malevolence  prevents  them  from  entering  into  any  inti- 
mate and  friendly  association :  for  they  seem  to  be  fully 
aware  of  his  guns,  and  snares,  and  other  arts  of  destruc- 
tion, which  make  them  shy,  even  in  cases  of  necessity,  of 
trusting  themselves  to  his  generosity  and  protection.  How 
many  amusing  and  instructive  associations  might  be  form- 
ed with  this  class  of  animals,  if  the  kindness  and  be- 
nevolence of  man  were  to  secure  their  confidence  !  Even 
the  beasts  of  the  forest,  the  elephant,  the  lion,  and  the  ti- 
ger,* have  had  their  ferocious  dispositions  softened  by 
kindness  and  attention,  and  have  become  the  protectors 
and  the  friends  of  man. 

Although  the  lower  animals  seem  to  be  incapable  of 
making  improvement  when  left  to  themselves,  yet  expe- 
rience has  proved,  that,  under  the  tuition  of  man,  they 
are  capable  of  making  considerable  advancement  in  know- 
ledge, and  in  the  exercise  of  the  benevolent  affections. 
Kindness  and  affection  will  frequently  soften  the  most 
savage  and  obdurate  dispositions  among  mankind ;  and, 
it  is  not  improbable,  that  a  judicious  and  universal  display 
of  friendly  attentions  towards  those  animals  which  occa- 
sionally associate  with  man,  would  go  far  to  counteract 
their  malevolent  propensities,  and  to  promote  their  har- 
mony and  affection.  I  never  was  more  delighted  with  an 
exhibition  of  animals  than  on  a  late  occasion,  when  I  be- 
held a  ca/,  a  hird^  and  a  mouse,  living  in  the  same  cage,  in 
the  most  cordial  harmony  and  peace — a  fact,  which  de- 
monstrates that  the  strongest  antipathies  of  the  animal 
tribes  may  be  overcome  by  the  care  and  attention  of  man. 


*  An  experiment  was  lately  exhibited,  by  the  keeper  of  the  animals 
in  the  Tower  of  London,  which  demonstrates,  that  even  the  tiger  is  ca- 
pable of  being  tamed,  and  rendered  susceptible  of  friendly  feelings  to- 
wards man. 

17 


198  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   RELIGION. 

And  as  such  an  experiment  could  not  have  been  attempt- 
ed with  success,  except  when  these  animals  were  very 
young,  it  shows  us  the  immense  importance  of  an  early  at- 
tention to  the  training  of  our  youth  in  habits  of  kindness 
and  affection  towards  each  other,  and  of  humanity  towards 
every  sensitive  being  ;  and  that  it  ought  to  be  the  great 
care  of  parents,  nurses,  and  servants,  to  counteract  the 
first  appearance  of  malevolent  dispositions  in  very  early 
life,  however  trivial  the  circumstances  in  which  such  dis- 
positions are  manifested. 

The  famous  Baron  Trenck,  when  confined  in  his  dun- 
geon in  Magdeburg,  had  so  tamed  a  mouse,  that  it  would 
play  round  him,  and  eat  round  him,  and  eat  from  his 
mouth.  When  he  whistled,  it  would  come  and  jump  up- 
on his  shoulder.  After  his  cruel  keepers  had  given  orders 
that  he  should  be  deprived  of  its  society,  and  had  actually 
taken  it  away  blindfolded,  it  found  its  way  back  again  to 
the  door  of  his  dungeon,  waited  the  hour  of  visitation, 
when  the  door  would  be  opened,  and  immediately  testi- 
fied its  joy  by  its  antic  leaping  between  his  legs.  This 
mouse  was  afterwards  carried  off,  and  put  into  a  cage, 
where  it  pined,  refused  all  sustenance,  and,  in  a  few  days, 
was  found  dead.  "  In  this  small  animal,"  says  the  Baron, 
"  I  discovered  proofs  of  intelligence  too  great  to  easily 
gain  belief.  Were  I  to  write  them,  such  philosophers  as 
suppose  man  alone  endowed  with  the  power  of  thought, 
allowing  nothing  but  what  they  call  instinct  in  animals, 
would  proclaim  me  a  fabulous  writer,  and  my  opinions  he- 
terodox to  what  they  suppose  sound  philosophy." — A  no- 
bleman of  France,  a  count  of  Lauzun,  was  condemned  to 
a  rigid  imprisonment.  Cut  off  from  all  human  society, 
and  allowed  no  means  of  diverting  his  solitude,  he  made 
a  companion  of  a  spider^  who  had  spun  her  web  in  the 
corner  of  his  cell.  He  at  length  familiarized  her  so  far, 
that  she  would  come  upon  his  hand,  and  eat  from  it  a  por- 
tion of  his  food  which  he  gave  her.  The  jailer,  totally 
devoid  of  feeling,  thought  this  too  great  an  indulgence  for 
the  unfortunate  prisoner,   and  crushed  tlie  spider  to  death. 

Many  such  instances  could  be  brought  forward  to  illus* 
trate  tiie  aflection  of  the  inferior  tribes,  and  their  capa- 
bility of  improvement.  But  althougli  they  were  entirely 
destitute  of  mental  qualities  and  aflections,  as   they  are 


BENEVOLENCE    TOWARDS    ANIMALS.  199 

sensitive  beings,  susceptible  of  pleasure  and  pain,  the 
truly  benevolent  man  will  never  intentionally  inflict  upon 
them  unnecessary  pain,  and  tar  less  will  he  ever  enjoy  a 
savao-e  delight,  like  some  monsters  in  human  shape,  in  be- 
holding them  writhing  under  the  agonies  occasioned  by 
barbarous  treatment.  He  will  feel  a  joy  in  their  comfort, 
and  will  endeavour  to  counteract  their  malignant  propen- 
sities, and  to  train  them  up  in  those  habits  by  which  they 
may  be  rendered  useful  to  man,  and  pleasing  to  each 
other.  Were  such  a  kind  and  humane  disposition  towards 
the  lower  animals  generally  to  prevail,  we  might  ultimately 
expect  the  literal  accomplishment  of  those  predictions 
recorded  in  ancient  prophecy  : — "  In  that  day  will  I  make 
a  covenant  for  them  with  the  beasts  of  the  field,  and  with 
the  fowls  of  heaven,  and  with  the  creeping  things  of  the 
ground ;  and  I  will  break  the  bow  and  the  sword,  and  the 
battle  out  of  the  earth,  and  will  make  them  to  lie  down 
safely."  "  I  will  cause  the  evil  beasts  to  cease  out  of  the 
land,  and  they  shall  dwell  safely  in  the  wilderness,  and 
sleep  in  the  woods."  "  The  wolf  shall  dwell  with  the 
lamb  ;  the  cow  and  the  bear  shall  feed  in  one  pasture,  and 
their  young  ones  shall  lie  down  together;  the  sucking 
child  shall  play  on  the  hole  of  the  asp,  and  the  weaned 
child  shall  put  his  hand  on  the  adder's  den.  They  shall 
not  hurt  nor  destroy  in  all  my  holy  mountain,  saith  the 
Lord." 

The  remarks  which  have  been  stated  in  this  section,  in 
reference  to  the  practical  influence  of  the  principle  of  be- 
nevolence, are  intended  merely  as  a  few  insulated  hints  in 
regard  to  some  of  the  modes  in  which  it  may  be  made  to 
operate.  To  illustrate  its  operations  in  detail,  and  to  trace 
its  progress  in  all  its  diversified  bearings  and  ramifications, 
would  be,  to  write  a  Body  of  Practical  Morality,  which 
would  fill  several  volumes — a  work  which  is  still  a  desi- 
deratum in  Christian  literature.  I  cannot  conclude  this 
chapter  more  appropriately  than  with  the  following  excel- 
lent passage,  extracted  from  Dr.  D wight's  "  System  of 
Theology." 

"  The  divine  law  is  wholly  included  in  two  precepts : 
Thou  shall  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart  ;  and 
thy  neighbour  as  thyself.  These  are  so  short,  as  to  be 
necessarily  included  in  a  very  short  sentence  ;  so  intelli' 


200  THE     PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

gihle,  as  to  be  understood  by  every  moral  being  who  is 
capable  of  comprehending  the  meaning  of  the  words,  God 
and  neighbour ;  so  easily  rcmemhcred  as  to  render  it  im- 
possible for  them  to  escape  from  our  memory,  unless  by 
wanton,  criminal  negligence  of  ours  ;  and  so  easily  appli- 
cable to  every  case  of  moral  actio?i,  as  not  to  be  mistaken 
unless  through  indisposition  to  obey.  At  the  same  time, 
ohcdience  to  them  is  rendered  perfectly  ohvious  and  perfectly 
easy  to  every  mind  which  is  not  indisposed  to  obey  them. 
The  very  disposition  itself,  if  sincere  and  entire,  is  either 
entire  obedience,  or  the  unfailing  means  of  that  exter- 
nal conduct  by  which  the  obedience  is  in  some  cases 
completed.  The  disposition  to  obey  is  also  confined  to  a 
single  affection  of  the  hearty  easily  distinguishable  from  all 
other  affections,  viz.  love.  Love,  saith  St.  Paul,  is  the  ful- 
filling of  the  law.  The  humblest  and  most  ignorant  moral 
creatures,  therefore,  are  in  this  manner  efficaciously  pre- 
served from  mistaking  their  duty. 

"  In  the  mean  time,  these  two  precepts,  notwithstanding 
their  brevity,  are  so  comprehensive  as  to  include  every 
possible  moral  action.  The  archangel  is  not  raised  above 
their  control,  nor  can  any  action  of  his  exceed  that  bound 
which  they  prescribe.  The  child  who  has  passed  the  verge 
of  moral  agency,  is  not  placed  beneath  their  regulation  ; 
and  Avhatever  virtue  he  may  exercise,  is  no  other  than 
a  fultilling  of  their  requisitions.  All  the  duties  which  we 
immediately  owe  to  God,  to  our  fellow-creatures,  and 
to  ourselves,  are,  by  these  precepts,  alike  comprehended 
and  required.  In  a  word,  endlessly  varied  as  moral  ac- 
tion may  be,  it  exists  in  no  form  or  instance  in  which 
he  who  perfectly  obeys  these  precei)ts  will  not  have  done 
his  duty,  and  will  not  find  himself  justified  and  accented 
by  God." 


CHAPTER  III. 

ON  THE  MORAL  LAW,  AND  THE  RATIONAL  GROUNDS 
ON  WHICH  ITS  PRECEPTS  ARE  FORMED. 


In  the  preceding  chapters,  I  have  endeavoured  to  illus- 
trate the  foundation  of  love  to  God,  from  a  consideration 
of  his  attributes,  and  the  relations  in  which  he  stands  to 
his  creatures.  I  have  also  illustrated  the  rational  grounds 
of  love  to  our  neighbour,  from  a  consideration  of  the  natu- 
ral equality  of  mankind,  of  the  various  relations  in  which 
ihey  stand  to  one  another,  and  of  their  eternal  destination. 
The  dismal  consequences  which  would  result  from  a  total 
subversion  of  these  laws,  the  beneficial  effects  which  would 
fiow  from  their  universal  operation,  their  application  to 
the  inhabitants  of  other  worlds,  the  declarations  of  Scrip- 
ture on  this  subject,  and  the  various  modes  in  which  be- 
nevolence should  display  its  activities,  have  also  been  the 
subject  of  consideration. 

The  two  principles  now  illustrated,  may  be  considered 
as  two  branches  proceeding  from  the  same  trunk,  and 
spreading  into  different  ramifications.  The  first  four  com- 
mandments of  the  moral  law  may  be  viewed  as  flowing 
from  the  principle  of  love  to  God,  and  the  remaining  six  as 
ramifications  of  the  principle  of  benevolence,  or  love  to 
man.  In  the  following  brief  illustrations,  I  shall  endeav- 
our to  show  the  reasonableness  of  these  moral  laws  in  rela- 
tion to  man,  from  a  consideration  of  the  misery  which 
would  necessarily  result  from  their  universal  violation,  and 
of  the  happiness  which  would  flow  from  universal  obedi- 
ence to  their  requisitions. 

These  laws  were  published  in  the  most  solemn  manner, 
to  the  assembled  tribes  of  Israel  in  the  wilderness  of  Ho- 
reb.  While  Mount  Sinai  was  shaking  to  its  centre,  and 
smoking  like  a  furnace  ;  while  flames  of  fire  were  ascend- 
ing from  its  summit,  and  thick  darkness  surrounding  its 
base  ;  while  thunders  were  rolling  in  the  clouds  above,  and 
17* 


202  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF     RELIGION. 

lightiiiniTs  flashing  amidst  the  surrounding  gloom  ;  and 
while  the  earth  was  quaking  all  around,  and  the  voice  of 
a  trumpet  waxing  louder  and  louder, — in  the  midst  of  this 
solemn  and  terrific  scene,  God  spake  the  commandments 
with  an  audible  articulate  voice,  in  the  hearing  of  the 
trembhng  multitude  assembled  round  the  mountain.  A 
combination  of  objects  and  events  more  awful  and  im- 
pressive, the  human  mind  can  scarcely  conceive  ;  compared 
with  which,  the  pretended  pomp  of  Pagan  deities,  and 
Jupiter  shaking  Olympus  with  his  imperial  rod,  are  lame, 
ridiculous,  and  profane  ;  and  never,  perhaps,  since  the 
commencement  of  time,  was  such  a  striking  scene  present- 
ed to  the  view  of  any  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  world.  The 
most  solemn  preparations  were  made  for  this  divine  man- 
ifestation ;  the  people  of  Israel  were  commanded  to  puri- 
fy themselves  from  every  mental  and  corporeal  pollution, 
and  strictly  enjoined  to  keep  within  the  boundaries  mark- 
ed out  for  them,  and  not  to  rush  within  the  limits  assigned 
to  tliese  awful  symbols  of  the  Deity.  An  assemblage  of 
celestial  beings,  from  another  region  of  creation,  was  pre- 
sent on  this  occasion,  to  perform  important  services,  to 
swell  the  grandeur  of  the  scene,  and  to  be  witnesses  of 
the  impressive  transactions  of  that  solemn  day.*  Moses 
was  appointed  as  a  temporary  mediator  between  God  and 
the  people,  to  explain  to  them  in  milder  terms  the  words 
of  the  law,  and  the  further  intimations  of  the  divine  will. 
Yet  so  terrible  were  the  symbols  of  the  present  Deity,  that 
even  Moses  was  appalled,  and  said,  "  I  exceedingly  fear 
and  quake."  In  order  that  tlie  impressive  words  which 
were  uttered  on  that  day  might  not  be  forgotten  in  futare 
generations,  they  were  written  on  tables  of  stone  with  the 
linger  of  God.     They  were   not  simply  dravm  on  a  plane. 


*  Stephen  says,  that  the  Jews  •'  received  the  law  by  the  disposi- 
tion ofannrols."  Grotius  observes,  on  tl)is  passage,  that  the  Greek 
preposition  (ei,v)  here  signifies  amidst,  and  that  {dintagas  agclon,)  de- 
notes  troops  of  anjiels  ranged  in  niihtary  order  ;  and  that  there  is  a 
reference  to  Deut.  xxxiii.  2.  '*  The  Lord  came  from  Sinai,  and  rose 
up  from  Seir  unto  them  ;  he  shined  forth  from  Mo\mt  Paran,  and  he 
came  with  ten  thousands  of  his  holy  ones  :  iVom  his  right  hand  went 
a  fiery  law  for  them." 


MORAL    LAW.  203 

like  the  strokes  of  writing  upon  paper,  but  the  characters 
were  engraved^  or  cut  out  of  the  solid  stone,  so  that  they 
could  not  be  erazed.  They  were  not  written  on  paper  or 
parchment,  or  even  on  wood,  but  on  stone^  which  is  a 
much  more  durable  material.  "The  tables  were  written 
upon  both  their  sides,  on  the  one  side,  and  on  the  other 
were  they  written  ;  and  the  tables  were  the  work  of  God, 
and  the  writing  was  the  writing  of  God,  graven  upon  the 
tables."*  This  was  intended  to  prevent  the  possibility  of 
any  thing  being  added  to  the  law,  or  taken  from  it.  The 
tables  were  two  in  number,  the  one  containing  the  pre- 
cepts which  inculcate  love  to  God,  the  other  containing 
those  which  enjoin  the  love  of  our  neighbour.  These 
laws,  thus  engraven  on  the  most  durable  materials,  were 
deposited  in  the  most  sacred  part  of  the  tabernacle,  in  the 
ark  of  the  covenant  under  the  mercy  seat.  All  the  strik- 
ing circumstances,  now  mentioned,  were  evidently  intend- 
ed to  proclaim  the  Majesty  and  Grandeur  of  the  Supreme 
Legislator — the  excellency  and  perfection  of  his  law — that 
it  is  the  eternal  and  unalterable  rule  of  rectitude — that  it 
is  of  perpetual  obligation  on  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth — that  it  is  the  rule  of  action  to  angels  and  archangels, 
and  to  all  other  moral  intelligences,  as  well  as  to  the  hu- 
man race — and  that  the  most  dreadful  consequences  must 
ensue  on  all  those  who  persist  in  violating  its  righteous 
precepts. 

The  proclamation  of  this  law  was  prefaced  by  these 
words,  "  I  am  Jehovah  thy  God,"  which  contain  a  ground 
and  reason  for  our  obedience.  They  evidently  imply,  that 
he  is  the  Self-existent  and  Eternal  Being  who  brought  the 
vast  universe  into  existence,  who  "  garnished  the  hea- 
vens, and  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth,"  and  peopled 
all  worlds  with  their  inhabitants — that  he  has  sovereign 
authority  to  prescribe  a  rule  of  action  to  his  creatures — 
that  he  knows  best  what  laws  are  requisite  to  preserve  the 
order  of  his  vast  empire,  and  to  secure  the  happiness  of  the 
intelligent  creation — that  he  is  the  former  of  our  bodies, 
the  Father  of  our  spirits,  and  the  director  of  all  the  move- 
ments of  nature  and  providence,  from  whose  unceasing 


*  Exod.  xxxii.  4; 


204  THE    PHILOSOPHY     OF    RELIGION'. 

agency  every  enjoyment  proceeds — and  that  all  his  regu- 
lations and  arrangements  are  calculated  to  promote  the 
present  and  everlasting  felicity  of  all  rational  agents  that 
submit  to  his  authoriy. — 'J'hat  these  laws  are  not  mere 
acts  of  Divine  Sovereignty,  but  founded  upon  the  nature 
of  things,  and  are  calculated  to  preserve  the  harmony  and 
order  of  the  intelligent  universe,  will  appear  from  the  fol- 
lowing illustrations  and  remarks. 


TIIE    FIRST    COMMANDMENT. 

Thou  shah  have  no  other  gods  before  me. 

All  the  commandments,  except  the  fourth  and  fifth, 
are  expressed  in  a  negative  ibrm  :  But  it  is  obvious,  that 
every  negative  command  includes  a  requisition  of  the 
duty  which  is  opposed  to  the  sin  forbidden ;  and  those 
which  are  positive  include  a  prohibition  of  the  conduct 
which  is  opposed  to  the  duty  required.  This  first  com- 
mandment, therefore,  though  expressed  in  the  negative 
form,  must  be  considered  as  including  a  positive  injunc- 
tion to  love  God  with  all  our  hearts,  to  offer  a  tribute  of 
supreme  adoration  to  his  perfections,  and  to  exercise  the 
graces  of  hope,  gratitude,  submission,  and  reverence. 
Having  already  considered  the  precept  in  this  point  of 
view,  (pp.  85 — 95)  it  is  only  necessary,  in  this  place,  to 
attend,  for  a  little,  to  the  negative  form  of  the  command. 
The  piohibition  contained  in  this  precept  must  be  consid- 
ered as  extending  not  only  to  Polytheism,  and  the  various 
objects  of  worship  which  have  prevailed  in  the  heathen 
world,  but  to  every  thing  which  is  the  ol)ject  of  our  su- 
preme affection  and  regard. 

It  is  a  dictate  of  enlightened  and  unprejudiced  reason, 
that  the  Being  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  existence,  on 
whom  we  every  moment  depend,  who  directs  the  move- 
ments of  the  system  of  nature,  who  daily  loads  us  with 
his  benefits,  and  on  whom  our  hopes  of  eternal  felicity  en- 
tirely depend — should  be  contemplated  with  the  most  ar- 
dent afiection  and  gratitude,  regarded  as  the  most  excel- 
lent  and   venerable    of  all  beings,  and  recognized  as  the 


IDOLATRY.  206 

Supreme  Legislator,  whose  laws  we  are  bound,  by  every 
tie  of  gratitude,  to  obey.  Wherever  such  sentiments  and 
affections  pervade  the  mind,  they  constitute  the  first  prin- 
ciples of  piety,  the  source  of  all  holy  obedience,  and  the 
foundation  of  all  true  happiness.  Were  they  universally 
felt,  and  acted  upon  by  human  beings,  the  Most  High 
God,  would  be  adored  in  every  land,  his  image  would  be 
impressed  on  every  heart,  his  righteous  laws  would  never 
be  violated,  grovelling  desires  and  affections  would  be 
eradicated,  and  our  world  would  be  transformed  into  an 
abode  of  felicity,  where  joys  similar  to  those  of  angels 
would  succeed  to  scenes  of  wretchedness  and  wo. 

On  the  other  hand,  where  the  unity  and  the  attributes 
of  the  divine  Being  are  not  recognized,  and  where  other 
objects  are  substituted  in  his  place,  the  foundations  of  reli- 
gion, and  of  moral  order  are  completely  subverted,  and  a 
door  opened  for  the  introduction  of  every  absurdity,  im- 
morality and  vile  abomination,  that  can  degrade  a  ration- 
al intelligence.  The  command  under  consideration  is 
placed  on  the  front  of  the  divine  law,  as  the  foundation 
of  all  the  other  precepts  ;  and,  therefore,  wherever  it  is 
violated,  or  not  recognized,  a  regular  obedience  to  the 
other  subordinate  injunctions  of  religion  is  not,  in  the  na- 
ture of  things,  to  be  expected.  Were  its  violation,  in  our 
world,  complete  and  universal,  it  is  impossible  to  say 
what  would  be  the  miserable  condition  of  human  beings 
in  their  social  capacity.  To  its  general  violation,  may  be 
traced  all  the  evils  under  which  humanity  has  groaned  in 
every  age,  and  all  the  depraved  passions,  and  shocking 
immoralities  which  now  disfigure  the  aspect  of  the  moral 
world. 

There  is  nothing  that  appears  more  prominent  in  the 
history  and  the  character  of  almost  every  nation  under 
heaven,  than  an  infringement  of  this  first  and  fundamen- 
tal law  of  the  Creator.  A  rational  and  enlightened  mind, 
on  a  first  consideration  of  this  subject,  would  be  apt  to 
surmise,  that  such  a  law  is  almost  superfluous  and  unnec- 
essary; There  is  such  an  immense  disproportion  between 
a  block  of  marble,  or  a  crawling  reptile,  and  that  Being 
who  supports  the  system  of  universal  nature,  that  it  ap- 
pears, at  first  view,  next  to  impossible,  that  a  reasonable 
being  should  ever  become  so  stupid   and   degraded,  as  to 


206  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   R£tlGION. 

substitute  the  one  for  the  other,  and  to  offer  his  adora- 
tions to  an  object  completely  devoid  of  life,  power,  and 
intelligence.  Yet  experience  teaches  us,  that  there  is  no 
disposition  to  which  the  human  mind  is  more  prone  than 
"  to.  depart  from  the  living  God,"  and  to  multiply  objects 
of  idolatrous  worship.  This  will  appear,  if  we  take  but 
the  slightest  glance  of  the  objects  of  adoration  which  have 
prevailed,  and  which  still  prevail  in  the  pagan  world. 

At  one  period  of  the  world,  with  the  single  exception 
of  the  small  nation  of  the  Jews,  idolatry  overspread  the 
face  of  the  whole  earth.  And  how  numerous  and  de- 
grading were  the  objects  which  the  blinded  nations  ador- 
ed !  VVe  are  informed,  by  Hesiod,  Varro,  and  other  an- 
cient authors,  that  no  less  than  thirty  thousand  subordinate 
divinities  were  comprised  within  that  system  of  idolatry 
whicn  prevailed  among  the  Greeks  and  Romans.  They 
had  both  celestial  and  terrestrial  deities.  They  assigned 
peculiar  gods  to  the  fountains,  the  rivers,  the  hills,  the  moun- 
tains, the  lawns,  the  groves,  the  sea,  and  even  to  hell  itselfr 
To  cities,  fields,  houses,  edifices,  families,  gates,  nuptial 
chambers,  marriages,  birtlis,  deaths,  sepulchres,  trees, 
and  gardens,  they  also  appropriated  distinct  and  peculiar 
deities.  Their  principal  celestial  deities  were  Jupiter, 
Mars,  Mercury,  Apollo,  Bacchus,  Venus,  Juno,  and  Mi- 
nerva— their  terrestrial^  Saturn,  Ceres,  Diana,  Neptune, 
Cybele,  Proserpine  and  Pluto.  Their  chief  idol  w-as  Ju- 
piter, whom  they  called  the  father  of  gods  and  men ;  and 
under  his  authority,  Neptune  had  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
sea,  Juno,  of  the  air,  Cybele,  of  the  earth,  and  Pluto, 
of  the  realms  belou-.  Instead  of  worshiping  the  living 
and  immortal  God,  they  deified  a  host  of  dead  men,  call- 
ed heroes,  distinguished  for  nothing  so  much,  as  for  mur- 
der, adultery,  sodomy,  rapine,  cruelty,  drunkenness,  and 
all  kinds  of  debauchery.  To  such  contemptible  divinities 
splendid  temples    w^ere    erected,*    adorations    addressed, 


*  The  temple  of  Diana  at  Ephesus,  has  been  always  admired  as 
one  of  the  noblest  pieces  of  arcbitecturc  tbat  the  world  ever  pro- 
duced. It  was  425  feet  ion'j,  200  feet  broad,  and  supported  by  127 
columns  of  marble  60  i'eet  hijih  ;  27  of  which  were  beautifully  ©ar- 
ved.  Diodorus  Siculus  mentions,  tbat  the  rich  presents  made  to  the 
temple  of  Apollo  at  Delphos,  amounted  to  one  million  three  hundred 
and  thirty-three  thousand  pounds. 


IDOLATRY.  207 

cosily  offerings  presented,  and  rites  and  ceremonies  per- 
formed, subversive  of  every  principle  of  decency  and  mo- 
rality, and  degrading  to  the  reason  and  the  character  of 
man. — A  system  of  idolatry  of  a  similar  kind,  though  under 
a  different  form,  prevailed  among  the  Egyptians.  The 
meanest  and  the  most  contemptible  objects — sheep,  cats, 
bulls,  dogs,  cows,  storks,  apes,  vultures,  and  other  birds 
of  prey ;  wolves,  and  several  sorts  of  oxen,  were  exalted 
as  objects  of  adoration.  "  If  you  go  into  Egypt,''  says 
Lucian,  "  you  will  see  Jupiter  with  the  face  of  a  ram. 
Mercury  as  a  fine  dog^  Pan,  is  become  a  goat ;  another 
god  is  Ibis^  another  the  crocodile,  and  another  the  ape. 
There,  many  shaven  priests  gravely  tell  us,  that  the  gods» 
being  afraid  of  the  rebellion  of  the  giants,  assumed  these 
shapes."  Each  city  and  district  in  Egypt  entertained  a 
peculiar  devotion  for  some  animal  or  other,  as  the  object 
of  its  adoration.  The  city  Lentopolis  worshiped  a  lion  ; 
the  city  Mendez,  a  goat ;  Memphis,  the  Apis  ;  and  the 
people  at  the  lake  Myris,  adored  the  crocodile.  These 
animals  were  maintained,  in  or  near  their  temples,  with 
delicate  meats  ;  were  bathed,  anointed,  perfumed,  had 
beds  prepared  for  them  ;  and  when  any  of  them  hap- 
pened to  die,  sumptuous  funerals  were  prepared  in  honour 
of  the  god.  Of  all  these  animals,  the  bull.  Apis,  was 
held  in  the  greatest  veneration.  Honours  of  an  extraor- 
dinary kind  were  conferred  on  him  while  he  lived,  and 
his  death  gave  rise  to  a  general  mourning. 

Such  was  the  abominable  idolatry  that  prevailed  even 
among  the  most  enlightened  nations  of  antiquity.  They 
changed  the  glory  of  the  incorruptible  God  into  "  the  si- 
militude of  an  ox  that  eateth  grass,"  and  into  images  made 
like  to  corruptible  man,  and  to  birds,  and  to  four-footed 
beasts,  and  creeping  things.  And  if  the  Egyptians,  the 
Greeks,  and  the  Romans,  who  are  distinguished  from 
the  rest  of  the  world  for  their  improvements  in  literature, 
science  and  the  arts,  had  so  far  renounced  their  allegiance 
to  the  God  of  heaven,  we  may  rest  assured  that  the  sur- 
rounding nations  were  sunk  still  farther  into  the  pollu- 
tions of  idolatry  and  of  mental  debasement.  The  Pheni- 
cians,  the  Syrians,  the  Canaanites,  the  Chaldeans  and 
Babylonians,  the  Arabians,  the  Scythians,  the  Ethiopians, 
and  the  Carthaginians,  the  ancient  Gauls,  Germans,   and 


208  THE    PHILOSOPHY   OF    RELIGION. 

Britons,  were,  if  possible,  more  deeply  debased ;  and 
mingled  with  their  idolatrous  rites,  many  cruel,  obscene, 
and  vile  abominations. — Such  is  still  the  moral  and  relig- 
ious debasement,  even  in  modern  times,  of  the  greater  part 
of  the  nations  which  dwell  upon  the  earth.  Even  the 
Hindoos,  the  Birmans,  the  Chinese,  the  Persians  and  the 
Japanese,  though  ranked  among  the  most  polished  nations 
of  the  heathen  world,  are  sunk  into  the  grossest  ignorance 
of  the  true  God,  and  are  found  perpetrating,  in  their  re- 
ligious worship,  deeds  revolting  to  humanity,  and  stained 
with  horrid  cruelty  and  injustice. 

The  moral  effects  which  were  produced  by  a  departure 
from  this  fundamental  law  of  the  Creator,   were  such  as 
corresponded  with  the  abominations  of  that  religious   sys- 
tem which  was  adopted.     Man  is  an  imitative  being  ;  and 
he  generally  imitates  the  actions  of  those  whom   he  con- 
ceives to  be  placed  in  a  superior  rank  and  station.     When, 
therefore,  the  gods  were  introduced  to  his  view,  as  swollen 
with  pride,  mad   with  rage,  fired  with  revenge,   inflamed 
with  lust,  engaged  in   wars,  battles,  and  contests,  delight- 
ing in  scenes  of  blood  and  rapine,  in  hatred   and  mutual 
contentions,  and  in  all  kinds  of  riot  and  debauchery,  it  was 
natural  to  suppose,  that  such   passions  and  crimes  would 
be   imitated   by  their  blinded  votaries.    Accordingly,   we 
find  that  such  vices  universally  prevailed,  even   among  the 
politest    nations  of   antiquity  ;  and  some  of  their  sacred 
rites,  solemnized  in  honour  of  their  gods,  were  so  bestial 
and  shocking,  as  to  excite  horror  in  every  mind  possessed 
of  the  least  sense  of  decency  and  virtue.     They  gloried  in 
the    desolation  and  destruction  of  neighbouring   nations. 
To  conquer,  and  oppress,    and  enslave  their  fellow-men, 
and  to  aggrandize  themselves  by  slaughter  and  rapine,  was 
the  great  object   of  their  ambition.     The'law  of  kindness 
and  of  universal  benevolence  was  trampled  under  foot,  and 
even  the  common  dictates  of  humanity,   equity   and  jus- 
tice, were  set  at  defiance.     But  this  was  not  all — Idolatry 
soon  began  to  instigate  its  votaries  to  the  perpetration  of 
the  most  revolting  and  unnatural  cruelties.     Dreadful  tor- 
tures were  inflicted  on  their  bodies,  to   appease  their  of- 
fended   deities ;    human  victims,   in  vast  numbers,  were 
sacrificed,  and  even  their  infants  and  little   children  were 


IDOLATRY.  309 

thrown  into  the  flames,   as  an  offering  to  the  idol  whixjh 
they  adored. 

The  Mexicans  were  accustomed  to  treat  themseivea 
with  the  most  inhuman  austerities,  thinking  that  the  dia- 
boHcal  rage  of  their  deities  would  be  appeased  by  human 
blood.  "  It  makes  one  shudder,"  says  Clavigero,  "  to 
read  the  austerities  which  they  practised  upon  themselves, 
either  in  atonement  for  their  transgressions,  or  in  prepara- 
tion for  their  festivals.  They  mangled  their  flesh  as  if  it 
had  been  insensible,  and  let  their  blood  run  in  such  proftt- 
sion,  as  if  it  had  been  a  superfluous  fluid  in  the  body. 
They  pierced  themselves  with  the  sharpest  spines  of  the 
aloe,  and  bored  several  pans  of  their  bodies,  particularly 
their  ears,  lips,  tongues,  and  the  fat  of  their  arms  and 
legs."  The  priests  of  Baal,  we  are  told,  in  the  book  of 
Kings,  "  cut  themselves  with  knives  and  lancets,  till  the 
blood  gushed  out  upon  them."  When  the  Carthaginians 
were  vanquished  by  Agathocles,  king  of  Sicily,  they  con- 
ceived that  their  god,  Jupiter  Latiaiis,  was  displeased  with 
their  conduct.  In  order  to  appease  him,  and  propitiate 
his  favour,  they  sacrificed  to  him,  at  once,  hoo  hundred 
■ons  of  the  first  noblemen  of  tHeif  state.  On  the  altars 
of  Mexico,  twenty  thousand  human  beings  are  said  to  have 
been  sacrificed  eveiy  year;  Tindi fifty  thousand  were  annu- 
ally offered  up  in  the  various  parts  of  that  empire,  accom- 
panied with  circmnstances  of  such  dreadful  cruelty  and 
horror,  as  makes  us  shudder  at  the  recital.  In  Hindoa- 
tan,  even  at  the  present  day,  several  thousands  of  women 
are  annually  burned  on  the  funeral  piles  of  their  deceased 
husbands,  as  victims  to  the  religion  they  profess ;  besicies 
multitudes  of  other  human  victims,  which  are  crushed  to 
death  under  theVheels  of  that  infernal  ervgine  which  sup- 
jwjrts  the  idol  Juggernaut.  Were  the  one-hundredth  part 
of  the  abominations  which  have  been  perpetrated  under 
the  system  of  idolatry,  in  those  countries  where  it  has 
prevailed,  to  be  fully  detailed,  it  would  exhibit  a  picture 
of  depravity  and  of  infernal  agency,  at  which  the  human 
mind  would  shrink  back  with  horror  ;  and  would  form  a 
striking  commentary  on  the  divine  declaration,  that  "  the 
dark  places  of  the  earth  are  full  of  the  habitatipns  of  hor* 
rid  cruelty."  *' 

18 


210  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

It  appears,  then,  that  a  violation  of  the  first  precept  of 
the  moral   law  is  the  greatest  crime  of  which  a  rational 
creature  can  be  guilty  ;  for  it  is  the  source  of  all  the  other 
crimes  which  have  entailed  wretchedness  on  mankind,  and 
strewed  the  earth  with  devastation  and  carnage.     It  is  a 
comprehensive   summary  of  wickedness  ;  which  includes 
pride,  falsehood,  blasphemy,  malignity,  rebellion,  hatred  of 
moral  excellence,  and  the  basest  ingratitude  towards  Hira 
from   whom    we  derived   our  being,  and  on  whom  we  de- 
pend for  all  our  enjoyments.     It  is  a  crime  which,  above 
all  others,  has  a  tendency  to  degrade  the  character  of  man  ; 
for  where  it  abounds,  the   human   mind   is  sunk  into  the 
lowest  state,  both  of  moral  and  of  intellectual  debasement. 
What  a  pitiful  and  humiliating  sight  is  it,   and  what  emo- 
tions of  astonishment  must  it  excite  in  the  mind  of  an  arch- 
angel, to  behold  a  rational  and  immortal  intelligence  cutting 
down  an  oak  in  the  forest,  burning  part  of  it  in  the  fire, 
baking  bread,   and  roasting  flesh   upon   its  embers,   and 
forming  the  residue   of  it  into  an  idol,  failing  down  and 
worshipping  it,  and  saying,   "  Deliver  me,  for  thou  art  my 
God  !"*  And   when  we  behold  the  same  degraded  mortal 
sacrificing  the  children  of  his  own  bowels  before  this  stump 
of  a  tree,  can  we  refrain  from  exclaiming,  in  the  language 
of  the  prophet,    "  Be  astonished,  O  ye  heavens,  at  this ; 
and  be    ye  horribly  afraid  !"  Were    idolatry  to   becom© 
universal  in  the  world,  there  is  no  crime,  no  species  of  cru- 
elty, no  moral  abomination  within  the  compass  of  the  hm- 
man  heart  to   devise,  but  would  soon  be  perpetrated  with- 
out a  blush,  in  the  open  face  of  day.     Had  not   God,  in 
his  mercy,  communicated  a  revelation  of  his  will,  in  order 
to  counteract  the  influence  of  Pagan  theology, — instead  of 
cultivating  the  powers  of  our  minds,   and  expanding  our 
oonception   of  the  Almighty,  by  a  contemplation  of  his 
word   and  works,  we  might,  at   this   moment,  have  been 
sunk  into   the  lowest  depths  of  moral  degradation,   been 
prostrating  ourselves,  in  adoration,  before  a  stupid  ox  or  a 
bl©ck  of  marble,  and  sacrificing  our  sons  and  daughters  to 
an  infernal  Moloch.     It  is  one  of  the  glories  of  Revelation, 
and  a  strong  proof  of  its  divine  origin,  that  all  its  pramiset 

♦  See  Isaiah  xlv,  9—21. 


IDOLATRY.  211 

and  threatenings,  its  admonitions  and  reproofs,  its  doc- 
trines, its  laws  and  ordinances,  are  directly  opposed  to  er- 
ery  idolatrous  practice  ;  and  that  there  is  not  a  single  in- 
stance in  which  the  least  countenance  is  given  to  any  of 
the  abominations  of  the  Pagan  world. 

In  the  present   age,  and   in  the   country  in  which  we 
reside,  we  are  in  little  danger  of  relapsing  into  the  prac- 
tices to  which  I  have  now  adverted.     But  idolatry  is  not 
coniined  to  the   adoration  of  Pagan  divinities :    it   has    its 
seat  in    every    heart    where    God  is    banished    from  the 
thoughts,  and  where  pride,   ambition,   and  avarice  occupy 
the  highest  place.     "  Covetousness,^^  or  an  inordinate  love 
of  wealth,  is  declared  by  the  Apostle  Paul  to  be  "  idolatry;''^ 
and  such  mental  idolatry,   though  more   refined  than  that 
of  the  heathen   world,  is  almost  equally   abhorrent  to  the 
Divine  Being,   and  equally  subversive  of  the  grand  prin- 
ciples of  Christian  morality.     If  the  acquisition  of  wealth 
and  riches  be  the  constant  and  supreme  aim   of  any  indi- 
vidual. Mammon  is  the  god  whom  he  regularly  worships, 
and  the  God  of  heaven  is   dethroned  from  his  seat  in  the 
affections.     Such   moral  effects   as   tlie   following  are  the 
natural   results  of  this  species  of  idolatry  :  It  steels  the 
heart  against   every  benevolent  and  generous  emotion  ;  it 
shuts  the  ears  to  the  cries  of  the  poor  and  needy  ;  it  en- 
genders cheating,   falsehood,  and    deceit ;  it  prevents  the 
man   in  whom  it  predominates  from   exerting  his   active 
powers,  and   from  contributing  of  his  wealth  to  promote 
the  happiness  of  mankind  ;  it  chains   down  his  noble  fac- 
ulties  to  the  objects  of  time  and  sense  ;  it  leads  him  to  love 
and  to  serve  himself  more  than  the  Creator  ;  it  wraps  him 
up  in   selfishness,  and   an   indifference  to  the   concerns  of 
ail   other  beings ;    it  destroys   the    principles    of    equity 
and  justice  ;  it  blunts  the   feelings   of  humanity  and  com- 
passion ;  and  prevents  him  from  attending  to  the  salvation 
of  his  soul,  and   from  looking  at  those   things  which  are 
unseen  and  eternal.     And  in  every  other  case  where  a  si- 
milar principle  holds  the   supreme    seat  in  the  affections, 
similar  effects  will  be  produced. 


2W  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 


THE    SECOND    COMMANDMENT. 

Thou  shall  not  make  unto  thee  any  graven  image^  nor  any 
likeness  of  any  thing  that  is  in  heaven  abovc^  or  that  is  in 
the  earth  benc-ath^  or  that  is  in  the  waters  under  th^  earth  : 
thou  shall  not  bow  down  thyself  to  them,  nor  serve  them. 

The  first    commandment,    which    I   have    illustrated 
above,  respects   the  object  of  our  worship ;  forbidding  us 
to  substitute   any  other  being  in  the   room  of  God,  or  to 
offer  to  it  that  homage   which   is  due   to   the  eternal  Jeho- 
vah.    This  second  commandment  respects  the  manner   in 
which  he  is  to  be  worshipped.      And,   in   regard  to  the 
manner  in  which  the  Divine  Being  is  to  be  contemplated 
and  adored,  it   is   expressly  declared,  that  no   image  nor 
representation  of  this  incomprehensible   Being,  is,  at  any 
time,  or  on  any   account,  to  be  formed.     This  command, 
like  the  former,  might,  at  first  sight,  appear  to  be  unne- 
cessary, if  the   almost   universal  practice  of  mankind  had 
not  taught  us,  that  there  is  no  disposition  which  the  hu- 
man mind  is  more   apt  to  indulge,   than  to  endeavour  to 
bring    the    invisible    Divinity    within    the  range    of    our 
senses,  and  to  contemplate  him  as  such  a  one  as  ourselves. 
The  necessity  of  this  injunction,  its  reasonableness,  and 
the  folly  and    absurdity  of  the  practice  against  which   it 
is  directed,  will  appear  from  the  following  considerations. 
The  Diviwe  Being    fills  the  immensity  of  space   with 
his  presence,  and  to  his  essence  we  can  set  no  bounds. 
He  inhabited  eternity,  before  the    earth   or  the  heavens 
were  brought  into  existence,  rejoicing  in  the  contempla- 
tion of  his  own  excellences,  and  in  the   future   efiects  of 
his  power  and  benevolence.      He  is  a  spiritual   uncom- 
pownded  substance,   and  consequently  invisible  to  mortal 
eyes,  and   impalpable  to  every  other  organ  of  sensation. 
His  Omnipotence  neither  man  nor  angel  can  scan,  nor  can 
they  explore   the  depths  of  his   wisdom   and  intelligence. 
When  universal  silence  and  solitude   reigned  throughout 
the  infinite  void — when  not  a    sound   was   heard,  nor  an 
object  seen  within   the   immeasurable   extent  of  boundleea 
f»pace — at  his  command,  worlds,  numerous  as    the  sand^ 
started  into  being..     Thousands  of  suns  diffused  their  splen- 


IMAGE    WORSHIP.  2l3 

doufs  through  the  regions  of  immensity  ;  the  ponderou.^ 
masses  of  the  planetary  globes  were  launched  into  exist- 
ence, and  impelled  in  their  rapid  courses  through  the  sky, 
their  surfaces  were  adorned  with  resplendent  beauties, 
and  replenished  with  myriads  of  delighted  inhabitants. 
The  seraphim  and  the  clierubim  began  to  chant  their 
hymns  of  praise,  and  "  shouted  for  joy"  when  they  beheld 
new  worlds  emerging  from  the  voids  of  space.  Life,  mo- 
tion, activity,  beauty,  grandeur,  splendid  illumination, 
and  rapturous  joy,  among  unnumbered  intelligences,  burst 
upon  the  view,  where  a  little  before  nothing  appeared 
but  one  immense,  dark,  and  cheerless  void.  And  ever  since 
duration  began  to  be  measured,  either  in  heaven  or  on 
earth,  by  the  revolutions  of  celestial  orbs,  the  same  omnip- 
otent energy  has  been  incessantly  exerted  in  directing  the 
movements  of  all  worlds  and  systems,  and  in  upholding  them 
jn  their  vast  career.  Of  a  being  invested  with  attribut«6  so 
glorious  and  incomprehensible,  with  power  so  astonishing 
iu  its  effects,  with  goodness  so  boundless,  and  with  wisdom 
80  unsearchable,  what  image  or  representation  can  possibly 
be  formed  which  will  not  tend  to  contract  our  conceptions, 
and  to  debase  the  character  of  the  infinite  and  eternal 
Mind !  "  To  whom  will  ye  liken  me,  or  shall  I  be  equal  ? 
saith  the  Holy  One." 

When  a  person  of  dignity  and  of  respectability  of  charac- 
ter is  caricatured^  and  associated  with  objects  and  circum- 
ttanccs  that  are  mean,  ridiculous  and  grotesque,  it  has 
a  tendency  to  degrade  his  character,  and  to  lessen  our 
veneration.  For,  the  respect  we  entertain  for  any  indi- 
vidual is  founded  on  the  view  we  take  of  him  iu  all  the 
aspects  in  which  he  may  be  contemplated.  For  a  simi- 
lar reason,  every  attempt  to  represent  the  Divine  Majesty 
by  sensible  images,  must  have  a  tendency  to  narrow  our 
conceptions  of  his  glory,  to  debase  his  character,  and  to 
lessen  our  reverence  and  esteem.  What  possible  simili- 
tude can  there  be  between  that  mighty  being,  who,  by  his 
word,  lighted  up  the  sun,  and  diffused  ten  thousands  of 
such  immense  luminaries  through  the  regions  of  creation, 
whose  hand  wields  the  planets,  and  rolls  them  through 
the  tracts  of  immensity, — between  Him  who  "  meteth 
out  the  heavens  with  a  span,  and  holds  the  ocean  in  the 
hollow  of  his  hand" — and  the  most  resplendent  image  that 
18* 


214  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

was  ever  formed  by  human  hands  !  Even  the  sun  himself, 
with  all  his  immensity  of  splendour,  althougli  our  rninds 
were  expanded  to  comprehend  his  vast  magnificence, 
would  form  but  a  poor  and  pitiful  image  of  Him,  whose 
breath  has  kindled  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  suns. 
How  much  less  can  a  block  of  marble,  or  a  stupid  ox, 
Adumbrate  the  glories  of  the  King  eternal,  immortal,  and 
invisible  !  It  wiil,  doubtless,  redound  to  the  eternal  dis- 
grace of  the  human  character,  in  every  region  of  the  uni- 
verse where  it  is  known,  that  ever  such  an  impious  at- 
tempt was  made  by  the  inhabitants  of  our  degenerate 
world,  as  to  compare  the  glory  of  the  incorruptible  God 
to  an  image  made  like  to  corruptible  man.  Wher- 
ever such  attempts  have  been  made,  there  we  bo- 
hold  human  nature  in  its  lowest  state  of  debasement  ;  the 
intellectual  faculties  darkened,  bewildered,  and  degraded  ; 
the  moral  powen  perverted  and  depraved  ;  grovelling  af- 
fections predominating  over  the  dictates  of  reason,  and  di- 
abolical passions  raging  without  controul.  Hence,  too, 
tlie  debasing  tendency  of  all  those  attempts  which  have 
been  made  to  introduce  into  the  Christian  church  pic- 
tures and  images,  to  represent  "  The  invisible  things  of 
Grod,"  and  the  sufferings  of  the  Redeemer.  For,  wher- 
ever such  practices  prevail,  the  minds  of  men  will  gen- 
erally be  found  to  entertain  the  grossest  conceptions 
of  the  divine  Being,  and  of  the  solemn  realities  of  reli- 
gion. 

But  the  principal  reason  why  any  representation  of  God 
is  expressly  forbidden  in  this  commandment,  is,  that  when- 
ever such  a  practice  commences,  it  infallibly  ends  in  ador- 
ing the  image  itself^  instead  of  the  object  it  was  intended  to 
represent.  Or,  in  other  words,  the  breach  of  this  com- 
mandment necessarily  and  uniformly  leads  to  a  breach  of 
tiie  first.  Notwithstanding  the  shock  which  the  human 
mind  appears  to  have  received  by  the  fall,  it  is  altogether 
inconceivable,  that  any  tribe  of  mankind  should  have  been 
90  debased  and  brutalized,  as,  in  the  first  instance,  to  mis- 
take a  crocodile,  or  the  stump  of  a  tree,  however  beauti- 
fully carved,  for  the  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth.  Such 
objects  appear  to  have  been  first  used  as  symbols  or  repre- 
sentations of  the  Deity,  in  order  to  assist  the  mind  in  form- 
iog  a  conceptioa  of  his  invisible  attributes.      But  as  tltey 


IMAGE    WORSHIP.  219 

had  a  direct  tendency  to  debase  the  mind,  and  to  obscure 
the  glory  of  the  Divinity,  in  process  of  time  they  began  to 
be  regarded  by  the  ignorant  multitude  as  the  very  gods 
themselves,  which  they  were  at  first  intended  to  repre- 
sent ;  and  that  tribute  of  adoration  was  paid  to  the  symbol 
itself,  which  was  originally  intended  to  be  given  to  the  in- 
visible God,  through  this  sensible  medium.  And,  when 
we  contemplate  kings  and  princes,  poets  and  philosophers, 
heroes  and  sages,  "  young  men  and  virgins,  old  men  and 
children,"  whole  provinces,  nations,  and  continents,  pros- 
trating themselves  before  the  shrine  of  such  despicable  and 
abominable  idols,  and  the  idea  of  the  true  God  almost 
banished  from  the  world,  we  have  reason  to  feel  ashamed, 
and  to  be  deeply  humbled,  that  we  belong  to  a  race  of  in- 
telligences that  have  thus  so  grossly  prostituted  their  ra- 
tional and  moral  powers. 

The  only  natural  image  or  representation  of  God  which 
is  set  before  us  for  our  contemplation,  is,  the  boundless 
universe  which  his  hands  have  formed  ;  and  his  inoral  im- 
age is  displayed  in  the  laws  which  he  has  published,  in 
the  movements  of  his  providence,  and  in  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ  his  Son,  who  is  "  the  image  of  the  invisible  God, 
and  the  brightness  of  his  glory."  All  these  exhibitions 
of  the  Divine  Majesty,  we  are  commanded  to  study,  to  con- 
template, and  admire ;  and  it  is  essentially  requisite  in  or- 
der to  our  acquiring  correct  and  comprehensive  views  of 
the  object  of  our  adoration,  that  no  one  of  these  displays 
of  the  Divinity  should  be  overlooked,  or  thrown  into  the 
shade.  There  are  some  Christians,  who  imagine  they  may 
acquire  a  competent  knowledge  of  the  character  of  God, 
although  they  should  never  spend  a  single  moment  in  con- 
templating his  perfections  as  displayed  in  his  visible 
works.  In  regard  to  such,  I  hesitate  not  to  aflirm,  that 
they  are,  to  a  certain  extent,  idolaters^  and  remain  wilful 
idolaters,  contented  with  the  most  inadequate  and  grovel- 
ling conceptions  of  the  Deity,  so  long  as  they  refuse  to  con- 
template, with  fixed  attention,  and  with  intelligence,  the 
operations  of  his  hands.  If  a  man's  ideas  never  extend 
beyond  the  bounds  of  his  visible  horizon,  or  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  country  in  which  he  resides,  and  if,  at  the 
same  time,  he  has  overlooked  the  most  striking  displays 
of  Divine  wisdom  and  goodness  within  these   bounds — hia 


216  THE    PUILOSOPHY    OF   RELIGION. 

conceptions  of  the  Divixnc  Being  himself,  will  nearly  cor- 
respond with  the  conceptions  he  forms  of  his  works.  If 
his  views  be  even  confined  within  the  limits  of  the  globe 
on  which  he  dwells,  his  conceptions  of  God  will  still  be 
grovelling,  distorted,  and  imperfect.  And,  therefore,  the 
idea  which  such  an  individual  forms  to  himself  of  God, 
may  be  inferior  to  that  which  is  due  to  one  of  the  higher 
orders  of  created  intelligences.  And,  if  so,  he  has  only 
an  image  of  a  creature  in  his  mind,  instead  of  a  compre- 
hensive conception  of  the  Great  Creator.  We  have  tcjo 
much  reason  to  believe,  that  there  are  multiindcs  in  tie 
religious  world,  who  pass  for  enlightened  Christians, 
whose  ideas  of  the  Supreme  Ruler  of  the  universe  do  not 
rise  beyond  the  conceptions  we  ought  to  form  of  the  pow- 
ers and  capacities  oi  Gabriel  the  archangel,  or  of  one  of 
the  highest  order  of  the  seraphim.. 

We  can  never  expect,  from  the  very  natuie  of  things,  to 
be  able  to  explore  the  depths  of  Jehovah's  essence,  or  to 
comprehend  the  whole  range  of  his  dominions  snd  govern- 
ment. But,  a  large  portion  of  his  operations  lies  open  to 
our  inspection  ;  and  it  is  from  an  enlightened  contempla- 
tion of  what  is  presented  to  our  view  in  the  visible  «ni- 
verse,  that  we  are  to  form  our  conceptions  of  the  grandeur 
of  the  Eternal  Mind.  For,  it  may  be  admitted  as  an 
axiom,  both  in  natural  and  revealed  theolog\^  that  our 
conceptions  of  God  will  nearly  correspond  Kith  the  coiicep- 
tions  we  acquire  of  the  nature  and  extent  of  his  operations. 
in  the  universe  around  us,  we  perceive  an  image  of  his 
infinity,  in  so  far  as  finite  and  material  existence  can  adum- 
brate the  attributes  of  an  Infinite  and  Invisible  Existence. 
When  we  lift  our  eyes  towards  the  midnight  sky,  we  behold 
a  thousand  suns  difiiising  their  splendours  from  regions  of 
space  immeasurably  distant.  When  we  apply  a  telescope 
to  any  portion  of  this  vast  concave,  we  perceive  thousands 
more  which  the  unassisted  eye  cannojt  discern.  When 
we  increase  the  magnifying  powers  of  the  instrument,  "we 
descry  numerous  orbs  of  light,  stretching  still  farther  into 
tlie  unfathomable  depths  of  space  ;  so  that  there  appear 
no  limits  to  the  scene  of  creating  power.  When  the  eye 
of  reason  penetrates  beyond  all  that  is  visible  tlnough  the 
most  powerful  telescopes,  it  contemplates  a  boundless  re- 
gion  teeming   with  other  resplendent  suns  and  systems, 


IMAGE    WORSHIP.  217 

whose  number  and  magnificence  overwhelm  the  imagina- 
tion ;  so  that  no  limit  can  be  set  to  the  excursions  of  the 
intellect  when  it  wings  its  flight  over  the  wide  empire  of 
Jehovah.  Over  all  this  vast  assemblage  of  material  splen- 
dour, over  its  movements,  and  over  all  the  diversified 
ranks  of  intelligence  it  supports,  God  eternally  and  un- 
changeably presides.  He  is  an  InfiiiiLe  Being  ; — and  in 
this  immense  universe  which  he  has  opened  to  our  view, 
he  has  given  us  an  image  of  his  infinity,  which  corres- 
ponds with  the  perfections  which  the  inspired  writers  ae- 
cribe  to  him — and  without  a  contemplation  of  which,  the 
mind  must  have  a  very  unworthy  and  circumscribed  idea 
of  the  attributes  of  the  Eternal  Mind.  Even  in  many  of 
the  objects  which  surround  us  in  this  lower  world,  we 
perceive  an  image  of  the  infinity  of  the  Creator — particu- 
larly in  those  living  worlds  which  are  contained  in  a  few- 
drops  of  water,  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  which  are  sev- 
eral hundreds  of  thousands  of  times  smaller  than  the  least 
grain  of  sand. — To  the  contemplation  of  such  objects  we 
are  directed  by  God  himself,  in  order  to  acquire  an  impres- 
sive view  of  his  character  and  operations.  "  Lift  up 
your  eyes  on  high,  and  behold  who  hath  created  these 
orbs,  that  bringeth  out  their  host  by  number :  he  calleth 
them  all  by  names,  by  the  greatness  of  his  might,  for 
that  he  is  strong  in  power." — And,  the  prophets,  when  rea- 
soning against  idolatry,  present  us  with  a  train  of  thought 
similar  to  that  to  which  I  have  now  adverted.  They 
describe  the  Almighty  as  "  sittinor  on  the  circle  of  the 
heavens,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  as  grasshoppers 
in  his  sight."  They  represent  him  as  "  measuring 
the  waters  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand,  weighing  the  moun- 
tains in  scales,  and  ineting  out  the  heavens  with  a  span — 
before  whom  all  nations  are  as  the  drop  of  a  bucket,  and 
are  counted  to  him  less  than  nothing  and  vanity." 

It  is  strange,  indeed,  that  the  duty  of  contemplating 
the  image  of  God  as  impressed  upon  his  works,  should 
be  so  much  overlooked  by  the  great  body  of  the  Chris- 
tian world,  notwithstanding  the  obvious  reasonableness 
of  this  duty,  and  the  pointed  injunctions  in  relation 
to  it  which  are  reiterated  in  every  department  of  the 
word  of  God.  It  is  still  more  strange,  that  the  instruc- 
tions of  many  religious  teachers  have  a  tendency  to  dissuade 


218  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

Christians    from    engaging    in   this  duty,  by  the   foolish 
contrasts  they  attempt  to  draw   between   the   word    and 
the  works  of  God  ;  so  that  tlie  great  mass  of  Christians  are 
left  to  remain  half  idolaters  for   want   of  those  expansive 
conceptions  of  God  which  a  knowledge  of  his   works  is 
calculated   to  produce.      It   is   also  most  unaccountable, 
on  every  principle  of  reason,  and  of  Revelation,   that  the 
wilful  neglect  of  this  duty  should  never  be  accounted  either 
as  a  sin,  or  as  a   want    of  that   respect    which  is  due  to 
the  Majesty  of  Heaven.     We  have  known  persons  rebuk- 
ed, and  even  excluded  from  a  Christian  Church,  for  hold- 
ing a  metaphysical  sentiment  different  from  their  brethren 
respecting  the  divine   plans   and   decrees ;  but  we  never 
heard  of  an  individual  being  either  reproved  or  admonish- 
ed by  a  Christian  society,  for  neglecting  to   contemplate 
the  character  of  God  as  displayed  in  his  works,   although 
he  had  lived  fifty  years  amidst  the  magnificence  of  crea- 
tion, and  had  acquired  little   more  knowledge  of  his  Cre- 
ator, from  this  source,  than  the  ox  which  browses   on  the 
grass.     Yet,  to  this  neglect   is  to  be  imputed  a  great  pro- 
portion of  those   grovelHng  conceptions,  superstitious  no- 
tions,   and    distorted   views    of  the    doctrines   of  religion 
which  still  disgrace  the  Christian  world.     This  fact  is  stiil 
more  unaccountable,  when  we  consider  that  a  knowledge 
of  the  abstrusities  and  technicalities  of  science   is  not  re- 
quisite in  order  to  the  performance   of  this   duty.     It   re- 
quries  only  the  eye  of  sense,  of  reason,  and  of  devotion  to 
be  directed  to  the  scene  of  divine  operation  within  us,  find 
around  us,  and  to  be  occasionally  fixed   on  the   object  we 
contemplate,  in  order  to  rppreciate  the  perfections  and  the 
glory  of  the  ever  present  Deity.     Although  there  were  no 
other  striking  objects  around  us,  the  single  fact  of  the  ap- 
parent revolution  of  \hc  celestial  concave,  with  all  its  mag- 
nificent orbs,   around  the   earth  every  twenty-four  hours, 
is  sufficient  to  overpower  the  mind  of  every  rational  obser- 
ver  with    admiration  and    wonder,  if  his   attention  were 
seriously  directed  to  it  only  for  a  single  hour.     The  ideas 
of  majesty,  of  grandeur,  and  of  omnipotent  energy  which 
this  single  circumstance  is  calculated  to  inspire,   are   such 
as  irresistibly  to  lead  the  mind  to  the  contemplation   of  a 
Being  whose  perfections  aie  incomprehensible,  and  whose 
ways  are  past  finding  out.     Yet,  I  believe,  it  may  be  af- 


IMAGE    WORSHIP.  219 

firmed  with  truth,  that  more  than  the  one  half  of  the 
Christian  world  are  ignorant  that  such  a  fact  exists  ;* 
8uch  is  the  indifference  and  the  apathy  with  which  many 
religionists  view  the  wonderful  works  of  God. 

It  was  chiefly  owing  to  such  criminal  inattention  to  the 
displays  of  the  Divine  Character  in  the  works  of  creation, 
that  the  inhabitants  of  the  *  Pagan  world  plunged  them- 
selves into  all  the  absurdities  and  abominations  of  idolatry. 
"  For  the  invisible  things  of  God,  even  his  eternal  power 
and  godhead,  are  clearly  seen  in  the  things  that  are  made," 
if  men  would  but  open  their  eyes,  and  exercise  their  pow- 
ers of  intelligence.  "  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of 
Jeiiovah ;"  they  declare  It  to  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
eanrth.  "  There  is  no  speech  nor  language  where  their 
voice  is  not  heard :  their  line  is  gone  out  through  all  the 
earth,  and  their  words  to  the  end  of  the  world." 

In  reason's  ear  they  all  rejoice, 
And  utter  forth  a  glorious  voice  ; 
For  ever  singing,  as  they  shine, 
"  The  hand  that  made  us  is  divine." 

But  the  Heathen  world  did  not  listen  to  the  instructions 
thus  conveyed,  nor  did  they  apply  their  understandings,  as 
they  ought  to  have  done,  to  trace  the  invisible  things  of 
God,  from  the  visible  displays  of  his  character  and  perfec- 
(ione,  in  the  universe  arouiid  them.  "  They  became  vain 
in  their  imaginations,  and  their  foolish  hearts  were  dark- 
ened ;  and  professing  themselves  k)  be  wise,  they  became 
fools."  While  "  the  harp  and  the  viol,  the  tabret,  the 
pipe,  and  the  wine  were  in  their  feasts,  they  regarded  not 
the  works  of  the  I/ord,  nor  considered  the  operations  of 
kis  hands."  "  V/herefore  they  wer®^  given  up  by  God  to 
indulge"  in  vile  affections,  and  "  to  worship  and  serve  the 
oreature  rather  than  the  Creator,  who  is  blessed  for  ever." 
And,  even  under  the  Christian  dispensation,  we  have  too 


*  Here  I  refer  simply  to  the  appctrent  moiion  of  the  heavens— leav- 
ing every  one  to  form  his  own  opinion  as  to  the  other  alternative — the 
motionof  the  earth.  In  either  case  the  mind  is  overpowered  witli 
ideas  of  j^randeur  and  of  Almighty  power.  See  this  topic  more 
particularly  illustrated  in  «  Christ.  Philosopher,"  Third  Edit.  pp.  67, 
280,505. 


820  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF  RELIGION. 

much  reason  to  fear,  that  effects  somewliat  analogous  to 
these  have  been  produced  and  a  species  of  mental  idola- 
try practised  by  thousands  who  have  professed  the  religion 
of  Jesus;  owing  to  their  inattention  to  the  visible  opera- 
tions of  Jehovah,  and  to  their  not  connecting  them  with 
the  displays  of  his  character  and  agency  as  exhibited  in 
the  revelations  of  his  word. 


THE    THIRD    COMMANDMENT. 


Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God  in  vain. 

The  name  of  any  person  is  that  which  distinguishes  him 
from  other  individuals.  Whatever  word  is  employed  to 
distinguish  any  object,  whether  animate,  or  inanimate, 
is  its  name.  In  like  manner,  the  Name  of  God  is  that  by 
which  he  is  distinguished  from  all  other  beings.  It  in- 
cludes those  terms  which  express  his  nature  and  character, 
as  Jehovah — those  titles  by  which  his  relation  to  his  crea- 
tures is  designated,  as  "  The  Creator  of  the  ends  of  the 
earth, — The  Father  of  mercies, — The  God  of  salvation,*' 
&/C. — the  attrihiUes  of  which  he  is  possessed,  as  his  Eter- 
nity, Omniscience,  Omnipotence,  Holiness,  Justice,  &c. — 
the  works  which  he  has  exhibited  in  heaven  and  on  earth 
— the  movements  of  his  Providence^  and  the  Revelations 
of  his  word.  By  every  one  of  these,  the  character  of  God 
is  distinguished  from  that  of  all  other  beings  in  the  uni- 
verse. In  relation  to  this  name  or  character  of  the  Divine 
Being,  it  is  solemnly  commanded,  that,  "  we  are  not  to 
take  it  in  vain," — that  is,  we  are  not  to  use  any  of  the  ti- 
iji&s  or  designations  of  the  Divine  Majesty,  for  trifling,  vain, 
or  evil  purposes  ;  nor  are  we  to  treat  any  displays  of  his 
character  with  levity,  profaneness,  or  irreverence. 

We  violate  this  connnand,  when  wo  use  the  name  of 
God,  in  common  discourse,  in  a  light  and  irreverent  man- 
ner, when  we  interlard  our  convi?rsation  with  unnecessary 
oaths  and  asseverations  in  which  this  name  is  introduced ; 
when  we  swear  to  what  we  know  to  be  false,  or  when  we 
multiply  oaths  in  reference  to  vain  and  trifling  concerns ; 
when  wetmprecate  curses  and  damnation  on  om  fellow- 


RELIGIOUS    VENERATION.  221 

erealures ;  when  we  approach  God  in  prayer,  without  those 
feelings  of  reverence  and  awe,  which  his  perfections  de- 
mand ;  when  we  swear  by  any  object  in  heaven  or  in  earth, 
or  by  the  false  deities  of  the  heathen  world  ;  when  we 
treat  his  wonderful  works  with  indifference  or  contempt  ; 
when  we  endeavour  to  caricature,  and  misrepresent  them, 
or  attempt  to  throw  a  veil  over  their  glory  ;  when  we  in- 
sinuate that  his  most  glorious  and  magnificent  works  were 
made  for  no  end,  or  for  no  end  worthy  of  that  infinite 
wisdom  and  intelligence  by  which  they  were  contrived  ; 
when  we  overlook  or  deny  the  Divine  Agency,  which  is 
displayed  in  the  operations  of  nature  ;  when  we  murmur 
and  repine  at  his  moral  dispensations,  or  treat  the  mighty 
movements  of  his  Providence,  whether  in  ancient  or  in 
modern  times,  with  a  spirit  of  levity,  with  ridicule,  or 
with  contempt  ;  when  we  treat  the  revelations  of  the  Bi- 
ble with  indifference  or  with  scorn  ;  when  we  make  the 
declarations  of  that  book,  which  unfolds  to  us  the  sublime 
and  adorable  character  of  Jehovah,  the  subject  of  merri- 
ment and  jest ;  when  we  endeavour  to  throw  upon  them 
contempt  and  ridicule,  with  the  view  of  undermining 
their  divine  authority ;  and  when  we  sneer  at  the  public 
and  private  worship  of  God,  and  at  the  ordinances  which 
he  hath  appointed. — In  all  these  and  many  other  ways, 
the  name  of  God  is  profaned,  his  character  reproached, 
and  that  reverence  of  the  Divine  Being,  which  is  the  foun- 
dation of  all  religion  and  moral  order,  undermined  and  sub- 
verted. 

When  the  name  or  the  titles  by  which  a  fellow-mortal 
is  distinguished,  are  made  the  subject  of  banter  and  ridi- 
cule in  every  company,  when  they  are  brought  forward 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  an  edge  to  a  sarcastic  sneer ; 
and  when  his  employments  and  the  works  he  has  con- 
structed, are  contemned,  and  associated  with  (iverf  thing 
that  is  mean  and  degrading ;  it  is  an  evidence  of  the  low 
estimation  in  which  he  is  held  by  the  individual  who  does 
so,  and  has  a  tendency  to  debase  his  character  in  the 
eyes  of  others.  On  the  same  principle,  the  profanation 
of  the  name  of  God,  has  an  evident  tendency  to  lessen 
our  admiration  of  the  Majesty  of  Heaven,  and  to  banish 
from  the  mind  every  sentiment  of  veneration  and  rever- 
ence. The  man  who  can  deliberately  violate  this  oom- 
19 


222  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OP    RELIGION. 

mand,  from  day  to  day, — thus  offering  a  contiimai  insult 
to  his  Maker — proclaims  to  all  around,  that  he  has  no 
emotions  of  reverence  and  affection  towards  that  Almighty 
Being,  whose  power  upholds  the  fabric  of  heaven  and 
earth,  and  who  dispenses  life  and  death  to  whomsoever 
he  pleases.  "  He  stretcheth  out  his  hand  against  God, 
and  strengtheneth  himself  against  the  Almighty."  He 
proclaims  to  every  reflecting  mind,  that  pride,  enmity, 
rebellion,  and  irreverence,  are  deeply  seated  in  his  heart, 
and  that  "  the  fear  of  God,"  and  the  solemnities  of  a  fu- 
ture judgment "  are  not  before  his  eyes." 

Were  the  violation  of  this  law  to  become  universal 
among  men — the  name  of  God,  among  all  ranks,  ages, 
and  conditions  of  life,  would  be  associated,  not  only  with 
every  trifling  discourse  and  altercation,  but  with  every  spe- 
cies of  ribaldry  and  obscenity.  The  lisping  babe  would 
be  taught  to  insult  that  Mighty  Being,  from  whom  it  so 
lately  derived  its  existence  ;  and  the  man  of  hoary  hairs, 
even  in  the  agonies  of  death,  would  pass  into  the  eternal 
state,  imprecating  the  vengeance  of  his  Maker.  All 
reverence  for  Jehovah,  would,  of  course,  be  banished 
f\-om  society ;  no  temples  would  be  erected  to  his  honour  ; 
no  silent  adorations  of  the  heart  would  ascend  to  his 
throne  ;  no  vows  would  be  paid  :  no  forms  of  worship 
appointed  ;  no  tribute  of  thanksgiving  and  gratitude  would 
be  offered  to  his  name, — but  the  voice  of  profanity  and  of 
execration,  among  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor,  the  young 
and  the  old,  in  every  social  intercourse,  and  in  every 
transaction,  would  resound  throughout  all  lands.  No  mo- 
tives to  excite  to  moral  action,  would  be  derived  from  the 
authority  and  the  omnipresence  of  God,  and  from  a  con- 
sideration of  his  future  retributions  ;  for  his  character 
would  be  reproached,  and  his  authority  trampled  under 
foot  by  all  people.  "  I'hey  would  set  their  mouths 
against  the  heavens,  in  tlieir  blasphemous  talk,"  and  they 
w^ould  say,  "  How  doth  God  know,  and  is  there  know- 
ledge in  the  Most  High  ?"  "  What  is  the  Almighty  that 
we  should  serve  him,  and  what  profit  shall  we  have,  if  we 
pray  unto  him?"  "The  Lord  doth  not  see,  neither  doth 
the  God  of  .Jacob  regard  us."  His  wonderful  works  would 
either  be  overlooked,  or  treated  with  contempt,  or  ascrib- 
ed  to  the  blind   operation  of  chance  or   of  fate.     They 


RELIGIOUS    VENERATION.  223 

would  be  represented  as  accomplishing  no  end,  as  display- 
ing no  wisdom,  and  as  controlled  by  no  intelligent  agency. 
Their  apparent  irregularities  and  defects  would  be  magni- 
fied, and  expatiated  upon  with  diabolical  delight ;  while 
the  glorious  evidences  they  exhibit  of  infinite  wisdom  and 
beneficence,  would  be  thrown  completely  into  the  shade. 
The  dispensations  of  his  providence  would  be  viewed  as 
an  inextricable  maze,  without  order  or  design,  directed 
by  chance,  and  by  the  ever-varying  caprice  of  human  be- 
ings. His  venerable  word  would  universally  become  the 
subject  of  merriment  and  laughter, — a  topic  for  the  ex- 
ercise of  ribaldry  and  ridicule,  and  a  theme  for  enlivening 
the  unhallowed  song  of  the  drunkard.  The  most  solemn 
scenes  which  it  displays,  and  its  most  joyful  and  alarming 
declarations,  would  be  equally  treated  with  levity  and 
contempt. — Such  are  some  of  the  impious  practices,  and 
horrible  effects  which  would  follow,  if  the  name  of  Jeho- 
vah were  universally  profaned.  The  very  name  of  reli- 
gion would  be  blotted  out  from  the  earth,  its  forms  abol- 
ished, its  sanctions  disregarded,  its  laws  violated,  virtue 
and  piety  annihilated,  the  flood-gates  of  eveiy  evil  burst 
open,  and  moral  order  entirely  subverted. 

On  the  other  hand,  universal  reverence  of  the  name  and 
character  of  God  would  lead  to  the  practice  of  all  the  du- 
ties of  piety  and  morality.  The  Most  High  would  be  re- 
cognised with  sentiments  of  veneration  at  all  times  ;  and  the 
silent  adorations  of  the  heart  would  How  out  towards  him 
in  ail  places  ;  in  the  house,  and  in  the  street,  in  the  bo- 
som of  the  forest,  and  in  the  fertile  plain,  in  the  city,  and 
in  the  wilderness,  under  the  shades  of  night,  and  amidst 
the  splendours  of  day.  In  every  place,  temples  would  be 
erected  for  his  worship,  hallelujahs  of  praise  would  ascend, 
and  "  incense  and  a  pure  offering"  be  presented  to  his 
name.  With  reverence  and  godly  fear,  with  expansive 
views  of  his  magnificence  and  glory,  with  emotions  of  af- 
fection, and  of  awe,  would  his  worshippers  approach  him 
in  prayer,  in  praise,  in  contemplation,  and  in  all  the  servi- 
ces of  his  sanctuary.  The  whole  earth  would  be  conse- 
crated as  one  grand  temple,  from  which  a  grateful  homage 
would  ascend  from  the  hearts  and  from  tlie  lips  of  mil- 
lions of  devout  worshippers,  in  all  places,  from  the  ris- 
ing to  the  setting  sun.      In  the    domestic    circle,  in  the 


224  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

social  club,  in  the  convivial  meeting,  in  the  streets, 
in  "  the  high  places  of  the  city,"  in  the  public  walks, 
in  the  councih  of  the  nations,  and  in  every  other  inter- 
course of  human  beings,  the  name  of  God  would  nev- 
er be  mentioned,  nor  his  character  alluded  to,  but  with 
feelings  of  profound  and  reverential  awe.  liis  works 
would  be  contemplated  with  admiration,  with  reverence, 
and  with  gratitude,  as  proclaiming  the  glory  of  his  king- 
dom, the  depths  of  his  wisdom,  and  the  extent  of  his  power. 
His  mighty  movements  among  the  nations  would  be  regard- 
ed with  submission  and  reverence,  as  accomplishing  the 
eternal  purposes  of  his  will ;  and  his  holy  word  would  be 
perused  by  all  classes  ofmen,wdth  affection  and  delight,  as 
the  oracle  which  proclaims  the  glories  of  his  nature,  the 
excellence  of  his  laws,  the  blessings  of  his  salvation,  and 
the  path  which  conducts  to  eternal  felicity  in  the  lite  to 
come.  Such  are  some  of  the  delightful  effects  which  would 
follow,  were  a  sentiment  of  profound  reverence  to  pervade 
the  whole  mass  of  human  beings ; — and  corresponding 
sentiments  of  love  and  affection  for  each  other,  would  be 
the  necessary  and  unceasing  accompaniments  of  respect 
and  veneration  for  their  common  Parent. 


THE  FOURTH    COMMANDMENT. 

*'  Remember  the  Sabbath  day,  to  keep  it  holy.  Six  days 
shah  thou  labour,  and  do  all  thy  work  :  but  the  seventh 
day  is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy  God,'^  (^"C. 

This  commandment  obviously  enjoins  the  setting  ?.part 
of  one  day  in  seven,  as  a  day  of  rest  from  worldly  labour, 
and  as  a  portion  of  time  to  be  devoted  to  the  devotional 
exercises  of  religion,  and  particularly  to  the  public  wor- 
ship of  God.  It  was  given  forth,  not  merely  to  display 
the  Sovereignty  of  the  Lawgiver  ;  but  to  promote  both  the 
sensitive  and  the  intellectual  enjoyment  of  man.  "  The 
Sabbath,"  says  our  Saviour,  "  was  made  for  man,  and  not 
man  for  the  Sabbath." 

It  was  made  for  man,  in  the  first  place,  as  a  day  of  rest. 
In  this  point  of  view,  it  is  a  most  wise  and  merciful  ap- 


INSTITUTION    OF    THE    SABBATH.  225 

pointment,  especially  when  we  consider  the  present  condi- 
tion of  mankind,  as  doomed  to  labour,  and  toil,  and  to  the 
endurance  of  many  sorrows.  When  we  reflect  on  the 
tyrannical  dispositions  which  prevail  among  mankind,  on 
the  powerful  influence  of  avarice  over  the  human  mind, 
and  on  the  almost  total  absence  of  benevolence  and 
compassion  towards  suff'ering  humanity,  wherever  such 
dispositions  predominate,  we  cannot  but  admire  the  wis- 
dom and  benevolence  of  the  Creator,  in  the  appoint 
ment  of  a  weekly  jubilee  for  the  rest  and  refreshment 
of  labourers  spent  with  toil.  On  this  day,  the  master  has 
an  opportunity  of  divesting  his  mind  of  worldly  cares  and 
anxieties,  the  servant  of  obtaining  liberty  and  res- 
pite from  his  toilsome  employments  ;  and  labourers  of  ev- 
ery class,  of  enjoying  repose  in  the  bosom  of  their  fam- 
ilies. Such,  however,  are  the  avaricious  dispositions, 
and  the  contracted  views  of  a  great  proportion  of  maR- 
kind,  that  they  are  apt  to  regard  the  institution  of  the 
Sabbath  as  an  obstruction  to  the  advancement  of  their 
worldly  interests.  They  v/ill  calculate  how  much  labour 
has  been  lost  by  the  rest  of  one  day  in  seven,  and  how  much 
wealth  might  have  been  gained,  had  the  Sabbath  not  inter- 
vened to  interrupt  their  employments.  But  all  such  self- 
ish calculations,  even  in  a  worldly  point  of  view,  pro- 
ceed on  the  principles  of  a  narrow  and  short-sighted  policy. 
We  know  by  experience,  that,  on  the  six  days  out  of 
seven  appointed  for  labour,  all  the  operations  requisite  for 
the  cultivation  of  the  fields,  and  for  the  manufacture  of 
every  useful  article  for  the  comfort  of  mankind,  can  bo 
performed  with  ease,  and  without  the  least  injury  to  any 
class  of  men.  And  what  more  could  be  accomplished, 
although  the  Sabbath  were  converted  into  a  day  of  la- 
bour ?  Were  this  violation  of  the  divine  command  to  be- 
come universal,  it  might  be  sliown,  that,  instead  of  pro- 
ducing an  increase  of  wealth,  it  would  infallibly  produce  an 
increase  of  toil  and  misery  in  relation  to  the  great  mass 
of  mankind,  without  any  corresponding  pecuniary  compen- 
sation. The  labouring  class  at  present  receive  little  more 
wages  than  is  barely  sufficient  to  procure  the  necessa- 
ries of  life.  If  their  physical  strength  would  permit 
them  to  work  eighteen  hours  a-day,  instead  of  twelve,  it  is 
beyond  a  doubt,  that,  in  a  very  short  time,  the  work  of 
19* 


326  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION, 

eighteen  hours  would  be  demanded  by  their  employers  for 
the  price  of  twelve, — particularly  in  all  cases  where  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  labourers  can  be  easily  obtained.  In  like 
manner,  were  the  Sabbath  to  be  used  as  a  day  of  labour, 
the  wages  of  seven  days  would  soon  be  reduced  to  what 
is  now  given  for  the  labour  of  six.  In  the  first  in- 
stance, indeed,  before  such  a  change  was  thoroughly  ef- 
fected, the  labouring  part  of  the  community  would  acquire 
a  seventh  part  more  wages  every  week  than  they  did  be- 
fore ;  and  men  unaccustomed  to  reflection,  and  who  never 
look  beyond  a  present  temporary  advantage,  would  imagine 
that  they  had  acquired  a  new  resource  for  increasing  their 
worldly  gain.  But,  in  a  very  short  time,  when  the  affairs 
of  the  social  state  were  brought  to  a  certain  equilibrium, 
they  would  be  miserably  undeceived  ;  and  the  aboli- 
tion of  the  Sabbath,  instead  of  bringing  along  with  it  an  in- 
crease of  wealth,  would  carry  in  its  train  an  increase  of  la- 
bour,— a  continued  series  of  toilsome  and  unremitting  exer- 
tions, which  would  waste  their  animal  powers,  cut  short 
the  years  of  their  mortal  existences,  "  make  their  lives  bit- 
ter with  hard  bondage,"  and  deprive  them  of  some  of  the 
sweetest  enjoyments  which  they  now  possess. 

And  as  the  Sabbath  was  appointed  for  the  rest  of  matin 
so  it  was  also  intended  as  a  season  of  repose  for  the  inferior 
animals  which  labour  for  our  profit.  "  The  seventh  day 
is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy  God  ;  in  it  thou  shalt 
not  do  any  work,  thou,  nor  thy  son,  nor  thy  daughter,  thy 
man-servant,  nor  thy  maid  servant,  nor  thy  cattle,  nor 
the  stranger  that  is  within  thy  gates."  This  injunction 
exhibits  the  compassionate  care  and  tenderness  of  the  Cre- 
ator in  a  very  amiable  and  impressive  point  of  view.  It 
shows  us,  that  the  enjoyments  of  the  lowest  ranks  of  sen- 
sitive existence  are  not  beneath  his  notice  and  regard. 
As  he  knew  what  degree  of  relaxation  was  necessary  tor 
the  comfort  of  the  labouring  animals,  and  as  he  foresaw 
that  the  avarice  and  cruelty  of  man  would  endeavour  to 
deprive  them  of  their  due  repose,  so  ho  has  secured  to 
them,  by  a  law  which  is  to  continue  in  force  so  long  as 
the  earth  endures,  the  rest  of  one  day  in  seven  in  com- 
mon with  their  proprietors  and  superiors.  And  this  pri- 
vilege they  will  undoubtedly  enjoy  hereafter,  in  a  more 
efliinent  degree  than   they  have  yet  done,  when  man  liim- 


INSTITUTION  OF    THE    SABBATH.  227 

self  shall  be  induced  to  pay  a  more  cordial  and  unreserv- 
ed obedience  to  this  divine  precept, — when  "  he  shall 
call  the  Sabbath  a  delight,  and  the  holy  of  the  Lord  hon- 
ourable." 

Again,  the  Sabbath  was  appointed  for  man,  as  a  season 
for  pious  recollection  and  religious  contemplation.  "  Re- 
member the  Sabbath  day,  to  keep  it  holy.''''  Amidst  the 
numerous  cares  and  laborious  employments  of  human 
life,  it  is  impossible  to  fix  the  mind,  for  any  length  of  time, 
on  the  divine  glory,  as  displayed  in  the  works  of  creation, 
on  the  important  facts  and  doctrines  of  revealed  religion, 
and  on  the  grand  realities  of  the  life  to  come.  And, 
llierefore,  if  the  labouring  classes  enjoyed  no  regular  sea- 
son of  repose  for  serious  reflection,  and  religious  instruc- 
tion, the  objects  of  religion  would  soon  be  entirely  neg- 
lected, and  the  impression  of  a  future  world  evanish  from 
the  mind.  But  in  the  wise  arrangements  of  the  benefi- 
cent Creator,  an  opportunity  is  afforded  to  all  ranks  of  men 
for  cultivating  their  moral  and  intellectual  powers,  and 
for  directing  them  to  the  study  and  contemplation  of  the 
most  glorious  and  interesting  objects.  As  the  Sabbath 
was  originally  instituted  as  a  sacred  memorial  of  the  fin- 
ishing of  the  work  of  creation,  so  it  is  obvious  that  the 
contemplation  of  the  fabric  of  the  universe,  and  of  the 
perfections  of  its  Almighty  Author  therein  displayed, 
ought  to  form  one  part  of  the  exercises  of  this  holy  day  ; 
and,  consequently,  that  illustrations  of  this  subject 
ought  to  be  frequently  brought  before  the  view  of  the 
mind  in  those  discourses  which  are  delivered  in  the  as- 
gemblies  of  the  saints.  Since  the  references  to  this  sub- 
ject, throughout  the  whole  of  divine  revelation,  are  so  fre- 
quent and  so  explicit,  it  is  evident,  that  the  Creator  intend- 
ed that  this  amazing  work  of  his  should  be  contemplated 
with  admiration,  and  make  a  deep  and  reverential  im- 
pression upon  every  mind.  To  call  to  remembrance  a  pe- 
riod when  there  was  no  terraqueous  globe,  no  sun,  nor 
moon,  nor  planets,  nor  starry  firmament,  when  darkness 
and  inanity  reigned  throughout  the  infinite  void — to  listen 
to  the  voice  of  God  resounding  through  the  regions  of 
boundless  space,  "  Let  there  be  light  ;  and  light  was" 
— to  behold  ten  thousands  of  spacious  suns  instantly 
lighted  up  at  his  command — to  trace  the  mighty  masses 


228  THE    nilLOSOPIIY    OF    RELIGION. 

of  the  planetary  worlds  projected  from  the  hand  of  Om- 
nipotence, and  running  their  ample  circuits  with  a  rapi- 
dity which  overwhelms  our  conceptions — to  contemplate 
the  globe  on  which  we  stand  emerging  from  darkness  and 
confusion  to  light  and  order ;  adorned  with  diversified 
scenes  of  beauty  and  of  sublimity,  with  mountains  and 
plains,  with  rivers,  and  seas,  and  oceans  ;  and  Mith  every 
variety  of  shade  and  colour  ;  cheered  with  the  melody  of 
the  feathered  songsters,  and  with  the  voice  of  naan,  the 
image  of  his  Maker,  where  a  little  before  eternal  silence 
had  prevailed, — to  reflect  on  the  Almighty  energy,  the 
boundless  intelligence,  and  the  overflowing  beneficence 
displayed  in  this  amazing  scene — has  a  tendency  to  ele- 
vate and  expand  the  faculties  of  the  human  mind,  and  to 
excite  emotions  of  reverence  and  adoration  of  the  omnip- 
otent Creator.  This  is  a  work  which  the  eternal  Jehovah 
evidently  intended  to  be  held  in  everlasting  remembrance, 
by  man  on  earth,  and  by  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  heaven- 
ly regions.  It  is  the  mirror  of  the  Deity,  and  the  natural 
image  of  the  invisible  God;  and  it  forms  {he  groimdtcork 
of  all  those  moral  dispensations  towards  his  intelligent  ofi- 
spring,  which  will  run  parallel  with  eternity  itself.  And, 
therefore,  to  overlook  this  subject  in  the  exercises  of  the 
Sabbath,  is  to  throw  a  veil  over  the  glories  of  the  Deity,  to 
disregard  the  admonitions  of  his  word,  and  to  contemn 
one  of  the  most  magnificent  and  astonishing  displays  of 
Divine  perfection.  "  By  the  word  of  Jehovah  were  the 
heavens  made,  and  all  the  host  of  them,  by  the  breath  ol" 
his  mouth.  He  gathereth  the  waters  of  the  sea  together 
as  an  heap,  he  layeth  up  the  depth  in  storehouses.  Let 
all  the  earth  fear  the  Lord  ;  let  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
world  stand  in  awe  of  him.  For  he  spake,  and  it  vvas 
done,  he  commanded,  and  it  stood  fast." 

'J'his  is  a  command  which  never  was  abrogated,  and 
which  never  can  be  abrogated  in  relation  to  any  intelligent 
beings,  so  long  as  the  Creator  exists,  and  so  long  as  the 
universe  remains  as  a  memorial  of  his  power  and  intelli- 
gence. Those  sacred  songs  which  are  recorded  in  Scrip- 
ture for  directing  the  train  of  our  devotional  exercises,  are 
full  of  this  subject,  and  contain  specimens  of  elevated  sen- 
timent and  of  sublime  devotion,  incomparably  superior  to 
what  is  to  be  found  in  any  other  record,  whether  ancient 


SABBATICAL    EXERCISES.  229 

or  modern.*  But  man,  whose  unhallowed  hand  pollutes  and 
degrades  every  portion  of  revelation  which  he  attempts  to  im- 
prove, has  either  endeavoured  to  set  aside  the  literal  and  sub- 
lime references  of  these  divine  compositions,  or  to  substitute 
in  their  place  the  vague  and  extravagant  fancies  of  weak  and 
injudicious  minds,  for  directing  the  devotional  exercises  of 
Christian  churches. f  As  the  book  of  God  is  the  only  cor- 
rect standard  of  religious  worship,  so  our  devotional  exer- 
cises, both  in  public  and  in  private,  ought  to  be  chiefly,  if 
not  solely  directed  by  the  examples  of  devotion  contained 
in  the  inspired  writings,  which  are  calculated  to  regulate 
and  enliven  the  pious  exercises  of  men  of  every  age  and 
of  every  clime. 

But,  the  celebration  of  the  work  of  creation  is  not  the 
only,  nor  the  principal  exercise  to  which  we  are  called  on 
the  Christian    sabbath.     Had  man    continued  in  primeval 


*  See  particularly  Psalms  8,  18,  19,  29,  33,  65,  66,  63,  74,  89,  92, 
93,  94,  95,  96,  100,  104,  107,  111,  135,  136,  139,  145,  146,  147,  148, 
&c.  &c. . 

1 1  here  allude  to  several  collections  of  Hymns,  which  have  been 
introduced  into  the  pubhc  worship  of  Christian  societies— many  of 
which,  contain  a  number  of  vague  and  injudicious  sentiments,  and 
extravagant  fancies,  wliile  they  entirely  omit  many  of  those  subjects 
on  whicli  the  inspired  writers  dehght  to  expatiate.  This  position 
could  easily  be  illustrated  by  abundance  of  examples,  were  it  expe- 
dient in  this  place.  I  arn  firmly  of  opinion,  that  the  praises  of  the 
Christian  Church  ought  to  be  celebrated  in  Scriptiire-langxiage—ihat 
eelections  for  this  purpose  should  be  made  from  the  book  of  Psalms, 
the  prophets,  and  the  New  Testament  writers,  which  shall  embody 
every  sentiment  expressed  in  the  original,  without  gIoss  or  comment, 
and  be  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  very  words  of  Scripture.  This 
has  been  partly  effected  in  many  of  the  Psalms  contained  in  metri- 
cal version,  used  in  the  Scottish  Church,  in  which  simplicitj^,  and 
sublimity,  and  a  strict  adherance  to  the  original,  are  beautifully  ex- 
emplified. In  this  case  there  would  be  no  need  for  a  separate  h3TTin- 
book  for  Baptists,  Methodists,  Independents,  Presbyterians,  and 
Episcopalians.  But,  when  a  poet  takes  an  insulated  passage  of 
Scripture,  and  spins  out  a  dozen  stanzas  about  it,  he  may  inter- 
weave, and  most  frequently  does,  as  many  fancies  of  his  own  as  he 
pleases.  Were  the  ideas  contained  in  certain  hymns  to  be  painted 
on  canvass,  they  would  represent,  cither  a  congeries  of  clouds  and 
mists,  or  a  group  of  distorted  and  unnatural  objects.  And  why 
ehould  such  vague  fancies,  and  injudicious  representations  be  impos- 
ed on  a  Christian  assembly?  What  a  disgrace  is  thrown  upon 
Christianity,  when  the  different  sects  of  Christians  cannot  cordially 
join  together  in  the  same  songs  of  thanksgiving  and  praise  to  their 
common  Father  and  Lord  ! 


230  THE  PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

innocence,  this  would  probably  have  constiliitcd  his  chief 
employment.  But  he  is  now  called  to  celebrate,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  this  exercise,  a  most  glorious  deliverance  from  sin 
and  misery,  effected  by  the  Redeemer  of  mankind.  And, 
for  this  reason,  the  sabbath  has  been  changed  from  the 
seventh  to  the  first  day  of  the  week,  in  memorial  of  the 
resurrection  of  Christ,  when  he  was  "  declared  to  be  the 
Son  of  God  with  power."  In  this  deliverance,  as  in  the 
lirst  creation,  a  variety  of  the  grandest  and  most  interesting 
objects  is  presented  to  our  view : — The  Son  of  God  man- 
ifested in  the  flesh — the  moral  image  of  the  invisible  Cre- 
ator embodied  in  a  human  form,  displaying  every  heav- 
enly disposition,  and  every  divine  vhtue,  performing 
a  series  of  the  most  astonishing  and  beneficent  miracles, 
giving  sight  to  the  blind,  and  hearing  to  the  deaf,  making 
the  lame  man  leap  as  an  hart,  and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb 
to  sing,  restoring  the  infuriated  maniac  to  the  exercise 
of  reason,  commanding  diseases  to  fly  at  the  signal  of  a 
touch,  recalling  departed  spirits  from  the  invisible  world, 
raising  the  dead  to  life,  and,  on  every  occasion,  imparting 
heavenly  instructions  to  attending  multitudes.  We  be- 
hold this  illustrious  personage  suspended  on  the  cross,  en- 
compassed with  the  waters  of  afiliction,  and  Avith  the  ago- 
nies of  death ;  the  veil  of  the  temple  rent  in  twain,  from 
the  top  to  the  bottom — the  rocks  of  mount  Calvary  rent  a- 
sunder — the  sun  covered  with  blackness— darkness  surround- 
ing the  whole  land  of  Judea — the  graves  opening — the 
dead  arising,  and  the  Prince  of  Life  consigned  to  the  man- 
sions of  the  tomb.  On  the  third  morning  after  this 
solemn  scene,  "  a  great  earthquake"  having  shaken  the 
sepulchre  of  the  Saviour,  we  behold  him  buisting  the  pris- 
on-doors of  the  tomb,  and  awakening  to  a  new  life,  which 
shall  never  end — v/e  behold  celestial  messengers,  in  re- 
splendent forms,  descending  from  the  ethereal  regions  to 
announce  to  his  disconsolate  disciples,  that  he  who  was 
dead  "  is  alive,  and  lives  for  evermore ;"  we  behold  him, 
at  length,  bestowing  his  last  benediction  on  his  faith- 
ful followers,  rising  above  the  confines  of  this  earthly  ball, 
winging  his  way  on  a  resplendent  cloud,  attended  by 
myriads  of  angels,  through  distant  regions,  which  "  eye 
hath  not  seen  ;"  and  entering  "  into  heaven  itself,  there 
to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God  for  us."  In  the  redemp- 
tion   achieved  by  this  glorious  person,    we    are   directed 


SABBATICAL    EXERCISES.  231 

to  look  back  on  that  scene  of  misery  in  which  sin  has 
involved  the  human  race,  and  to  those  "  regions  of  sor- 
row and  doleful  shades,"  from  which  his  mercy  has  de- 
livered us  ;  and  to  look  forward  to  a  complete  deliverance 
from  moral  evil,  to  a  resurrection  from  the  grave,  to  a  gen- 
eral assembly  of  the  whole  race  of  Adam — to  the  destruc- 
tion and  renovation  of  this  vast  globe  on  which  we  dwell, 
and  to  the  enjoyment  of  uninterrupted  felicity,  in  brighter 
regions,  while  countless  ages  roll  away. — Such  are  some 
of  the  sublime  and  interesting  objects  which  we  are  called 
upon  to  contemplate  and  to  celebrate  on  the  day  appointed 
for  the  Christian  sabbath — objects  which  have  a  tendency 
to  inspire  the  mind  with  sacred  joy,  and  with  an  antici- 
pation of  noble  employments  in  the  life  to   come. 

Again,  the  Sabbath  was  appointed  as  a  stated  season 
for  the  public  worship  of  God.  As  mankind  are  connect- 
ed by  innumerable  ties,  as  they  are  subject  to  the 
same  wants  and  infirmities,  are  exposed  to  the  same 
sorrows  and  afflictions,  and  stand  in  need  of  the  same 
blessings  from  God, — it  is  highly  reasonable  and  becom- 
ing, that  they  should  frequently  meet  together,  to  offer  up 
in  unison  their  thanksgiving  and  praise  to  their  common 
Benefactor,  and  to  supplicate  the  throne  of  his  mercy. 
These  exercises  are  connected  with  a  variety  of  interest- 
ing and  important  associations.  In  the  public  assemblies 
where  religious  worship  is  performed,  "  the  rich  and  the 
poor  meet  together."  Within  the  same  walls,  those  who 
would  never  have  met  in  any  other  circumstances,  are 
placed  exactly  in  the  same  situation  before  Him  in  whose 
presence  all  earthly  distinctions  evanish,  and  who  is  the 
Lord,  and  "the  Maker  of  them  all."  Here,  pride  and 
haughtiness  are  abased  ;  all  are  placed  on  the  same  level, 
as  sinners  before  Him  "  who  is  of  purer  eyes  than  to  be- 
hold iniquity;"  the  loftiness  of  man  is  humbled,  the  poor 
are  raised  from  the  dust,  and  the  Lord  alone  is  exalted  in 
the  courts  of  his  holiness.  Here,  cleanlinoss  and  decency 
of  apparel  are  to  be  seen,  and  human  nature  appears,  both 
in  its  physical  and  its  moral  grandeur.*     Here,   civility   of 

*  What  a  striking  contrast,  even  in  a  physical  point  of  view,  is 
presented  between  a  modern  assembly  of  Christian  worshippers,  and 
the  hideous  and  filthy  group  of  human  beings  that  are  to  bo  seen  ia 
the  kraal  of  a  Hottentot,  or  in  the  cave  of  a  New  Hollander. 


232  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGIOX. 

deportment,  and  kindly  afiections  are  generally  displayed. 
Here,  we  feel  ourselves  in  the  immediate  presence  of  Hira 
before  whom  all  nations  are  as  the  drop  of  a  bucket ;  we 
feel  our  guilty  and  dependent  character,  and  stand  as  sup- 
pliants, for  mercy  to  pardon,  and  for  grace  to  help  us  in  the 
lime  of  need.  Here,  knowledge  of  the  most  important 
kind  is  communicated  to  assembled  multitudes,  almost 
^'  without  money  and  without  price."  Here,  the  poorest 
beggar,  the  youth,  and  the  man  of  hoary  hairs,  may  learn 
the  character  of  the  true  God,  and  of  Jesus  Christ  whom 
he  hath  sent — the  way  to  eternal  happiness — the  sources 
of  consolation  under  the  afflictions  of  life — and  the  duties 
they  owe  to  their  Creator,  and  to  all  mankind.  In  a  word, 
here  the  sinner,  in  the  midst  of  his  unhallowed  courses,  is 
aroused  to  consideration  ;  and  here  the  saint  is  animated 
and  encouraged  in  his  Christian  journey,  and  enjoys  a 
foretaste  of  the  blessedness  of  heaven,  and  an  earnest  of 
the  delightful  intercourses  and  employments  of  "  the  saints 
in  light." 

Let  us  now  suppose,  for  a  moment,  that  the  Sabbath, 
and  its  exercises,  were  universally  abolished  from  the  civi- 
lized world.  What  would  be  the  consequences  ?  The 
knowledge  of  the  true  God,  which  the  institution  of  the 
Sabbath,  more  than  any  other  mean,  has  tended  to  perpet- 
uate, would  soon  be  lost,  his  worship  abandoned,  and  re- 
ligion and  moral  principle  buried  in  the  dust.  In  Pagan 
countries,  where  the  Sabbath  is  unknown,  the  true  God  is 
never  adored,  the  soul  of  man  is  debased,  and  prostrates 
itself  before  the  sun  and  moon,  and  even  before  demons, 
monsters,  insects,  reptiles,  and  blocks  of  wood  and  stone. 
In  France,  where  the  Sabbath  was  for  a  season  abolished, 
an  impious  phantom,  called  the  Goddess  of  Reason,  was 
substituted  in  the  room  of  the  Onniipotent  and  Eternal 
God  ;  the  Bible  was  held  up  to  ridicule,  and  committed 
to  the  flames  ;  man  was  degraded  to  the  level  of  the  brutes  ; 
his  mind  was  assimilated  to  a  piece  of  clay,  and  the  cheer- 
ing prospects  of  immortality  were  transformed  into  the 
shades  of  an  eternal  night.  Atheism,  Scepticism,  and  Fa- 
talism, almost  universally  prevailed  ;  the  laws  of  morality 
were  trampled  under  foot ;  and  anarchy,  plots,  assassina- 
tions, massacres,  and  legalized  plunder,  became  "  the  or- 
der of  the  day." — With  the  loss  of  the  knowledge  of  God, 


SABBATICAL    EXERCISES.  233 

ail  impressions  of  the  Divine  presence,  and  all  senee  of 
accou'ntableness  for  human  actions,  would  be  destroyed. 
The  restraints  of  religion,  and  the  prospect  of  a  future 
judgment,  would  no  longer  deter  from  the  commission  of 
crimes  ;  and  nothing  but  the  dread  of  the  dungeon,  the 
gibbet,  or  the  rack,  would  restrain  mankind  from  the  con- 
stant perpetration  of  cruelty,  injustice,  and  deeds  of  vio- 
lence. No  social  prayers,  from  assembled  multitudes, 
would  be  offered  up  to  the  Father  of  mercies ;  no  voice  of 
thanksgiving  and  praise  would  ascend  to  the  Ruler  of  the 
skies  ;  the  work  of  creation,  as  displaying  the  perfe'ttions 
of' the  Deity,  would  cease  to  be  admired  and  commemorat- 
ed ;  and  the  movements  of  Providence,  and  the  gloriie  of 
redemption,  would  be  overlooked  and  disregarded.  The 
pursuit  of  the  objects  of  time  and  sense,  which  can  be  en- 
joyed only  for  a  few  fleeting  years,  would  absorb  every 
faculty  of  the  soul  ;  and  the  realities  of  the  eternal  world 
would  either  be  forgotten,  or  regarded  as  idle  dreams.  In 
short,  were  the  Sabbath  abolished,  or,  were  the  law  which 
enforces  its  observance  to  be  reversed,  man  would  be  doom- 
ed to  spend  his  mortal  existence  in  an  unbroktn  series  of 
incessant  labour  and  toil  ;  his  mental  powers  would  lan- 
guish, and  his  bodily  strength  would  be  speedily  wasted. 
Habits  of  cleanliness,  civility  of  deportment,  and  decency 
of  apparel,  would  be  disregarded  ;  and  the  persons,  and 
the  habitations  of  the  labouring  classes,  would  soon  resem- 
ble the  filthiness  and  the  wretched  objects  which  are  seen 
in  the  kraal  of  a  Hottentot.  Their  minds  would  neither 
be  cheered  with  the  prospect  of  seasons  of  stated  repose  in 
tliis  world,  nor  with  the  hope  of  eternal  rest  and  joy  in  the 
worW  to  come. 


THE    FIFTH    COMMANDMENT. 


'*  Honour  thy  Father  and  thy  Mother. '^'^ 

The  four  preceding  commandments,  whose  importance 
f  have  endeavoured  to  illustrate,  were  written  on  a  sepa- 
rate tablet  from  those  that  follow,  and  have  been  general- 
ly considered  as  enjoining  the  practice  of  piety^  or  those 
20 


234  THE    PHILOSOPHY   OF   RELIGION. 

duties  which  more  immediately  respect  God  us  their  ob- 
ject. But  they  also  include  the  duties  we  owe  to  o-ur- 
selves ;  for  in  yielding  obedience  to  these  requirements, 
we  promote  our  best  interests  in  this  world,  and  are  gradu- 
ally prepared  for  participating  in  the  enjoyments  of  the 
'W'^orld  to  come.  These  laws  are  binding  upon  angels  and 
archangels,  and  upon  every  class  of  intelligent  beings,  in 
whatever  quarter  of  the  universe  their  local  residence  may 
he  found,  as  well  as  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth.  The 
•fourth  commandment,  indeed,  in  so  far  as  regards  the  par- 
ticular  portion  of  time  to  be  set  apart  for  the  worship  of 
God,  may  possibly  be  peculiar  to  the  inhabitants  of  our 
world.  Even  although  the  inhabitants  of  such  a  world  as 
the  planet  Jupiter  were  comimanded  to  set  apart  every  sev- 
enth natural  day  for  the  stated  public  worship  of  God,  the 
proportion  of  absolute  time  allotted  for  this  purpose,  would 
not  be  the  same  as  ours  ;  for  the  natural  day  in  that  world 
is  equal  to  only  ten  hours  of  oiir  time.  But  the  spirit  of 
this  precept,  or,  the  principle  on  which  it  is  founded,  must 
fee  common  to  all  worlds.  For  we  can  conceive  of  no 
class  of  intelligent  creatures,  on  whom  it  is-  not  obligatory 
to  devote  a  certain  portion  of  time  for  the  social  worship 
a«d  adoration  of  their  Creator,  and  fo^  commemorating  the 
displays  of  his  Power  and  Benevolence  ;  and  all  holy  in- 
telligences will  cheerfully  join  in  such  exercises,  and  wfil 
ronsider  it  as  a  most  ennobling  and  delightful  privilege,  to 
engage  at  stated  seasons,  along  with  their  fellow-wor- 
shippers, in  admiring  and  extolling  the  Uncreated  Source 
of  their  enjoyments.  But  the  stated  seasons  appointed  by 
the  Creator  for  such  solemn  acts  of  worship,  the  manner 
and  circumstances  in  which  they  shall  be  performed,  and 
the  number  of  worshippers  that  may  assemble  on  such  oc- 
casions, may  be  diiferent  in  different  worlds,  according  to 
the  situations  in  which  they  are  placed. 

The  fifth  commandment,  to  which  1  am  now  to  advert, 
is  one  of  those  moral  regulcrtions  which  may  possibly  be 
peculiar  to  the  relations  which  exist  in  our  w^orld  ;  at  least, 
it  cannot  be  supposed  to  apply  to  the  inhabitants  of  any 
world  where  the  relations  of  parents  and  children,  of  su- 
periors and  inferiors,  are  altogether  unknown.  But,  in 
the  circumstances  in  whi«^  man  is  placed,  it  is  a  law  i«- 


RELATIONS  OF    MANKIND.  235 

dispensably  requisite  for  preserving  the  order  and  happi- 
ness of  the  social  system. — It  requires  the  exercise  of  thotsc 
dispositions,  and  the  performance  of  those  duties,  which 
are  incumbent  upon  mankind,  in  the  various  relations  in 
v;hick  they  stand  to  each  other.  It,  consequently,  includes 
within  its  spirit  and  references,  the  duties  which  childreu 
owe  to  their  parents,  and  parents  to  their  children ;  the 
duties  of  husbands  and  wives,  of  masters  and  servants,  of 
teachers  and  scholars,  of  brothers  and  sisters,  of  the  young 
and  the  old,  and  of  governors  and  their  subjects  ;  together 
with  all  those  dispositions  of  reverence,  submission,  affec- 
tion, gratitude  and  respect,  with  which  the  performance  of 
these  duties  ought  to  be  accompanied.  It  must  also  be 
considered  as  forbidding  every  thing  that  is  opposed  to 
these  dispositions,  and  to  the  obedience  required  ;  as  contu- 
macy, rebellion,  and  w^nt  of  respect,  on  the  part  of  chil- 
dren towards  their  parents  ;  disobedience  of  servants  to 
the  reasonable  commands  of  their  masters ;  and  every 
principle  of  disaffection  and  of  insubordination  among  the 
various  ranks  of  society.  That  all  this  is  included  within 
the  range  of  this  precept,  might  be  proved  from  the  prin- 
ciples on  which  our  Saviour  explains  the  sixth  and  seventh 
commandments,  in  his  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  and  from 
the  illustrations  of  these  duties  which  are  given  in  the 
Apostolic  epistles,  and  in  other  parts  of  Scripture. 

As  it  forms  no  part  of  my  plan,  to  enter  into  any  par- 
ticular explanations  of  the  duties  required  in  the  Deca- 
logue, which  have  frequently  been  expounded  by  many 
respectable  writers,  in  works  particularly  appropriated  to 
this  object, — I  shall  simply  illustrate,  in  a  few  words, 
the  reasonableness  of  this,  and  the  following  precepts, 
from  a  consideration  of  the  effects  which  would  follow, 
were  these  laws  either  universally  observed,  or  universally 
violated. 

Were  this  law  to  be  reversed,  or  universally  violated, 
it  is  impossible  to  form  an  adequate  conception  of  the 
dreadful  scene  of  anarchy  and  confusion  which  would  im- 
mediately ensue.  Every  social  tie  would  be  torn  asunder, 
every  relation  inverted,  every  principle  of  subordina- 
tion destroyed,  every  government  overturned,  every 
rank  and  order  of  mankind  annihilated,  and  the  whole 
assembly   of  human    beings  converted  into    a  discordant 


236  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   RELIGION. 

mass  of  lawless  banditti.  Every  family  would  present  a 
scene  of  riot,  confusion,  insubordination,  contention,  ha- 
tred, tumult,  and  incessant  execration.  Instead  of  love, 
peace,  unity,  and  obedience,  the  son  would  rise  in  rebel- 
lion against  his  father,  and  the  father  would  insult  and 
trample  under  foot  his  son.  To  use  the  words  of  our 
Saviour.  "  The  brother  would  deliver  up  the  brother  to 
death,  and  the  father  the  child ;  and  the  children  would 
rise  up  against  their  parents,  and  cause  them  to  be  put 
to  death ;  the  daughter  would  be  set  at  variance  against 
her  mother,  and  the  daugbter-in-law  against  her  mother- 
in-law  ;  and  a  man's  foes  would  be  they  of  his  own 
household."  Children  would  be  unprovided  with  pro- 
per food,  clothing,  and  instruction,  and  left  to  wander, 
houseless  and  forlorn,  as  vagabonds  on  the  face  of  the 
earth ;  and  parents,  abandoned  by  their  children,  in  sick- 
ness, poverty,  and  old  age,  would  sink  into  the  grave 
in  wretchedness  and  despair.  The  young,  instead  of 
"  rising  up  before  the  hoary  head,  and  honouring  the 
face  of  the  old  man,"  would  treat  the  aged  and  infirm 
with  every  mark  of  scorn,  derision,  and  contempt ;  and 
would  feel  a  diabolical  delight  in  vexing,  thwarting, 
and  ov.erpowering  their  superiors  in  age  and  station. 
No  instructions  could  be  communicated  by  teachers  and 
jjuardians  to  the  rising  generation ;  for  riot,  insolence, 
insiilt,  derision,  and  contempt,  would  frustrate  every  ef- 
fort to  communicate  knowledge  to  a  youthful  groupe. 
No  building  nor  other  work  of  art  could  be  commenced 
with  the  certain  prospect  of  being  ever  finished ;  for  its 
progress  would  depend  upon  the  whims  and  humours 
of  the  workmen  employed,  who,  of  course,  would  rejoice 
in  endeavouring  to  frustrate  the  plans  and  wishes  of  their 
employers.  No  regular  government  nor  subordination 
in  a  large  community,  could  possibly  exist ;  for  the  great 
mass  of  society  would  endeavour  to  protect  every  de- 
linquent, and  would  form  themselves  into  a  league  to  pre- 
vent the  execution  of  the  laws.  These  effects  would  in- 
evitaBly  follow,  even  although  the  requisition  contain- 
ed in  this  precept,  were  to  be  viewed  as  confined  solely 
to  the  reverence  and  obedience  which  children  owe  to 
their  parents.  For,  were  this  obedience  withdrawn,  and 
an  opposite  disposition  and  conduct  uniformly  manifested, 


IMPORTANCE    OF    RELATIVE    DUTIES.  237 

the  young  would  cany  the  same  dispositions  which  they 
displayed  towards  their  parents,  into  all  the  other  scenes 
and  relations  of  life,  and  fill  the  world  with  anarchy  and 
confusion. — But  it  would  be  needless  to  expatiate  on 
this  topic,  as  it  appears  obvious  to  the  least  reflecting 
mind,  that  a  universal  violation  of  this  law  would  quite 
unhinge  the  whole  fabric  of  society,  and  would  soon 
put  an  end  to  the  harmonious  intercourse  of  human  be- 
ings. 

On  the  other  hand,  a  constant  and  universal  obedience 
to  this  precept  M'Ould  produce  such  effects  on  the  deform- 
ed aspect  of  our  world  as  would  transform  it  into  a  para- 
dise of  moral  beauty,  of  happiness  and  love.  Every  fam- 
ily would  exhibit  a  picture  of  peace  and  concord,  of  har- 
mony and  affection.  No  harsh  and  bitter  language,  no 
strifes,  nor  jars,  nor  contentions  would  ever  interrupt  the 
delightful  flow  of  reciprocal  aflection  between  parents  and 
children.  No  longer  should  we  behold  the  little  per- 
verse members  of  the  domestic  circle,  indulging  their 
sulky  humours,  and  endeavouring  to  thwart  the  wishes 
of  their  superiors,  nor  the  infuriated  parent  stamping 
and  raging  at  the  obstinacy  of  his  children  ;  nor  should 
we  hear  the  grating  sounds  of  discord,  and  insubordina- 
tion which  now  so  frequently  issue  from  the  family  man- 
sion. Every  parental  command  would  be  cheerfully  and 
promptly  obeyed.  Reverence  and  filial  affection  would 
glow  in  every  youthful  breast  towards  the  father  that  begat 
him,  and  towards  the  mother  that  gave  him  birth.  Their 
persons,  and  their  characters  would  be  regarded  with  ven- 
eration and  respect,  and  their  admonitions  submitted  to 
without  a  murmur  or  complaint.  To  gladden  the  hearts 
of  their  parents,  to  run  at  the  least  signal  of  their  will, 
to  share  in  their  benignant  smile  of  approbation,  and  to 
avoid  every  species  of  conduct  that  would  produce  the 
least  uneasiness  or  pain — would  be  the  unceasing  aim 
of  all  the  youthful  members  of  the  family  circle.  In 
sickness,  they  would  smooth  their  pillows',  and  alleviate 
their  sorrows,  watch  like  guardian  angels  around  their 
bed,  drop  the  tear  of  affection,  and  pour  the  balm  of  con- 
solation into  their  wounded  spirits.  In  the  decline  of  life, 
they  would  minister  with  tenderness  to  their  support  and 
enjoyment,  guide  their  feeble  steps,  sympathi-ze  with 
20* 


238  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   RELIGION* 

fhern  in  their  infirmities,  cheer  and  animate  their  dejected 
spirits,  and  render  their  passage  to  the  tomb  smooth  and 
comfortable.  And  how  delighted  would  every  parent 
feel  amidst  such  displays  of  tenderness  and  affection  ? 
There  is  perhaps  nothing  in  the  whole  range  of  human 
enjoyment  that  creates  a  higher  and  more  unmingled  grat- 
ification to  parents,  than  the  dutiful  and  affectionate  con- 
duet  of  their  offspring.  It  sweetens  all  the  bitter  ingredi- 
ents of  human  life,  and  adds  a  relish  to  all  its  other  com- 
for-ts  and  enjoyments.  It  imparts  a  continual  satisfaction 
and  serenity  to  the  parental  breast  ;  it  smooths  the  wrin- 
kles of  age  ;  it  cheers  the  spirits  under  the  infirmities  of 
declining  nature,  and  makes  the  dying  bed  of  old  age  com- 
fortable and  easy.  And  the  joy  and  satisfaction  thus  felt 
by  parents  would  be  reflected  into  the  bosom  of  their  chil- 
dren ;  which  would  produce  a  union  of  interests,  a  cordi- 
ality of  affection,  and  a  peace  and  tranquillity  of  mind  in 
every  member  of  the  family,  which  no  adverse  occurrence 
in  future  life  could  ever  effectually  destroy. 

From  the  family  circle  the  emanations  of  filial  piety 
would  spread  and  diffuse  themselves  through  all  the  other 
departments  of  society.  The  same  spirit  of  love  and  du- 
tiful respect  which  united  and  endeared  parents  to  chil- 
dren, and  children  to  parents,  would  unite  one  family  to 
another,  one  village  to  another,  one  city  to  another,  one 
province  to  another,  one  kingdom  and  empire  to  another, 
till  all  the  tribes  of  the  human  race  were  united  in  kind- 
ness and  aflection,  as  one  great  and  harmonious  family. 
Every  dutiful  child  would  become  a  faithful  and  obedient 
servant,  a  docile  scholar,  and  a  loyal  and  submissive  sub- 
ject, when  placed  in  those  relations  ;  and  would  prove  a 
blessing  and  an  ornament  to  every  society  of  which  he 
was  a  member.  And  every  dutiful  and  affectionate  pa- 
rent, when  placed  in  the  station  of  a  king,  or  a  subordi- 
nate ruler,  would  display  a  parental  affection  towards  ev- 
ery member  of  the  community  over  which  he  was  appoint- 
ed. Hence  it  might  easily  be  shown,  that  an  uninterrupt- 
ed and  universal  observance  of  this  single  precept,  view- 
ed in  all  its  connexions  and  bearings,  would  completely 
regenerate  the  world — and  that  the  peace,  the  harmony 
and  the  prosperity  of  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  will  ul- 
timately depend  on  the  spirit  of  filial  piety  being  infused 


LAW   IN   RELATION    TO    MURDER.  239 

into  every  family.  "  Honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother," 
says  the  Apostle,  "  which  is  the  first  commandment  with 
promise  ;  that  it  may  he  well  with  thee^  and  that  thou 
viayest  live  long  upon  the  earth.''''  These  words,  which  are 
frequently  repeated  in  Scripture,  are  not  empty  sounds ; 
nor  ought  they  to  be  deprived,  even  under  the  Christian 
dispensation,  of  their  obvious  and  literal  meaning.  Filial 
piety  has  a  natural  tendency  to  produce  health,  long  life 
and  prosperity ;  and  could  we  trace  the  whole  of  the  se- 
cret history  of  Providence  in  reference  to  this  precept, 
we  should,  doubtless,  find  this  position  abundantly  exem- 
plified. At  any  rate,  were  it  universally  practised,  it 
would  carry  along  with  it  a  train  of  blessings  v/hich  would 
convert  the  tumults  and  convulsions  of  nations  into  peace 
and  tranquillity,  and  transform  the  moral  wilderness  of  this 
world  into  a  scene  of  verdure,  beauty  and  loveliness, 
which  vv  ould  enrapture  the  mind  of  every  moral  intelli- 
gence ;  and,  among  its  other  benefits,  "  length  of  days, 
and  long  life  and  peace,"  would  undoubtedly  "  be  added" 
to  the  other  enjoyments  of  mankind. 

THE    SIXTH    COMMANDMENT. 

"  Thou  shalt  not  kilV' 

This  precept  forbids  the  taking  away  of  the  life  of  any 
sensitive  or  intelligent  existence.  The  command  is  abao- 
iutey  without  the  least  exception,  as  it  stands  in  the  Deca- 
logue ;  and  it  is  universal,  extending  to  every  rational  and 
moral  agent.  It  implies  that,  as  every  sensitive  and  ev- 
ery intelligent  being  derived  its  existence  from  the  Omnip- 
otent Creator  of  heaven  and  earth,  no  one  has  a  right 
to  deprive  it  of  that  existence,  except  that  Being  by 
whom  it  was  bestowed.  And,  whatever  exceptions  to  the 
universality  of  this  law  may  be  admitted,  they  can  be  ad- 
mitted only  on  the  authority  of  the  Lawgiver  himself, 
who  is  the  Original  Fountain  of  existence  to  all  his  crea- 
tures. The  principal  exceptions  to  this  law  are  the  fol- 
lowing : — 1.  The  man  who  has  violently  taken  away  the 
life  of  another  is  commanded,  by  the  authority  of  God,  to 
be  put  to  death.  "  Whoso  sheddeth  man's  blood,  by 
man  shall  his  blood  be  shed."     This  is  the  dictate  of  rea- 


340  THE    PHILOSOPHY   OF   RELIGION. 

son  as  well  as  of  revelation  ;  for  no  human  power  can  recal 
the  departed  spirit,  or  reanimate  the  lifeless  corpse,  and 
no  adequate  compensation  can  ever  be  given  for  such  a 
crime.*  2.  The  life  of  the  lower  animals  is  permitted  by 
the  same  authority  to  be  taken  away,  when  these  animals 
are  necessary  for  our  food,  or  when  they  endanger  our  exis- 
tence. This  permission  was  first  granted,  immediately 
after  the  flood,  to  Noah  and  his  descendants.  "  God 
said  to  Noah  and  his  sons  ;  every  thing  tliat  moveth  shall 
be  meat  for  you  ;  even  as  the  green  herb  have  I  given  }?ou 
all  things."  Without  such  a  positive  grant  from  the 
Creator,  man  could  have  had  no  more  right  to  take  away 
the  life  of  an  ox  or  a  sheep,  than  he  has  to  imbrue  his 
hands  in  the  blood,  or  to  feast  on  the  flesh  of  his  fellow- 
men.  To  take  the  life  of  any  sensitive  being,  and  to  feed 
on  its  flesh,  appears  incompatible  with  a  state  of  inno- 
cence ;  and  therefore,  no  such  grant  was  given  to  Adam  in 
paradise  ;  nor  does  it  appear  that  the  Antediluvians,  not- 
withstanding their  enormous  crimes,  ever  feasted  on  the 
flesh  of  animals.  It  appears  to  have  been  a  grant  suited 
only  to  the  degraded  state  of  man  after  the  deluge  ;  and, 
it  is  probable,  that,  as  he  advances  in  the  scale  of  moral 
perfection,  in  the  future  ages  of  the  world,  the  use  of  ani- 
mal food  will  be  gradually  laid  aside,  and  he  will  return 
again  to  the  productions  of  the  vegetable  kingdom,  as  the 
original  food  of  man,  and  as  that  which  is  best  suited  to 
the  rank  of  a  rational  and  moral  intelligence.  And,  per- 
haps, it  may  have  an  influence,  in  combination  with  other 
favourable  circumstances,  in  promoting  health  and  longev- 
ity.— But,  although  the  inferior  animals,  are,  in  the  mean 
time,  subjected  to  our  use,  no  permission  is  granted  to  treat 
them  with  harshness  or  cruelty,  or  to  kill  them  for  the 
sake  of  sport  and  amusement.  And,  therefore,  the  man 
wlw  wantonly  takes  away  the  lives  of  birds,  hares,  fishes 


*  Notwithstanding  the  considerations  here  stated,  the  Author  in 
doubtful  whether  the  Creator  has  conceded  to  man  the  riijht  of  tak- 
ing away  the  hfc  of  another,  even  in  case  of  murder.  If  the  pass-age 
here  quoted  ought  to  be  considered  as  a  -prediction  rather  than  a  law, 
as  is  most  probable,  it  will  aftbrd  no  warrant  for  the  destruction'bf 
human  life  ;  and  there  is  no  other  injunction  of  this  kind  which  has 
any  relation  to  the  New  Testament  dispensation. 


LAW    IN    RELATION    TO    MURDER.  241 

and  other  animals,  for  the  mere  gratification  of  a  taste  for 
hunting  or  fishing,  can  scarcely  be  exculpated  from  the 
charge  of  a  breach  of  this  commandment. 

The  above  are  the  principal  exceptions  which  the  Crea- 
tor has  made  in  reference  to  the  law  under  consideration. 
And  it  may  not  be  improper  to  remark,  that,  besides  the 
direct  act  of  murder,  every  thing  that  leads  to  it,  or  that 
has  a  tendency  to  endanger  life,  is  to  be  considered  as  for- 
bidden in  this  commandment.  All  unkindness  and  harsh 
treatment  exercised  towards  servants,  dependants,  and 
brute  animals,  by  which  life  may  be  shortened  or  rendered 
intolerable — all  furious  and  revengeful  passions,  which  may 
lead  to  acts  of  violence — ail  quarrelling,  fighting,  and  box- 
ing, either  for  bets,  or  for  the  gratification  of  hatred  or  re- 
venge— all  wishes  for  the  death  of  others,  and  all  contrir- 
ances  either  direct  or  indirect  to  compass  the  destruction 
of  our  neighbour — all  criminal  negligence  by  which  our 
own  life  or  the  life  of  others  may  be  endangered  or  de- 
stroyed— and  all  those  actions  by  which  murder  may  be 
committed  as  a  probable  effect,  as  the  burning  of  inhabit- 
ed houses,  and  the  throwing  of  the  instruments  of  death 
into  the  midst  of  a  crowd — are  to  be  regarded  as  involving 
tlie  principle  of  murder,  as  well  as  the  direct  acts  of  sui- 
cide, duelling  and  assassination  ;  and,  consequently,  as  vi- 
olations of  that  law  which  extends  to  the  secret  purposes 
of  the  heart,  as  well  as  to  the  external  actions.  Even  un- 
reasonable anger,  malice  and  scurrility  are  declared  by  our 
Saviour  to  be  a  species  of  murder  :  "  Whosoever  is  angry 
with  his  brother  without  a  cause,  shall  be  in  danger  of  the 
judgment,  and  whosoever  shall  say  to  his  brother,  Raca,''^ 
that  is,  thdni  worthless  empty  fellow,  "  shall  be  in  danger 
of  the  council."*  Life  is  desirable  only  as  it  is  connect- 
ed with  enjoyment,  and,  therefore,  when  a  man  treats  his 
brother  with  such  a  degree  of  hatred  and  scurrility,  as  to 


*  Math.  V.  22.  Christ,  in  this  passage,  refers  to  a  common  court 
among  the  Jews,  composed  oUtoenty-tkree  men,  wherein  capital  sen- 
tences might  be  passed,  on  which  a  malefactor  might  be  strangled  or 
beheaded  :  this  was  called  the  Judgment.  But  the  Sanhedrim,  or 
Council,  was  the  supreme  Jewish  court,  consisting  of  seventy-two  ; 
in  which  the  highest  crimes  were  tried,  which  they,  and  they  alone, 
punished  with  stoning,  which  was  considered  a  more  terrible  death 
than  the  former. 


S42  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   RELIGION. 

render  his  existence  either  unpleasant  or  intolerable,  he 
ought  to  be  ranked  among  the  class  of  murderers.  For 
the  apostle  John  declares,  without  the  least  limitation,  that 
"  whosoever  hateth  his  brother  is  a  murderer,  and  he  that 
loveth  not  his  brother,  abideth  in  death."  And,  if  this 
criterion  be  admitted,  a  train  of  murderers  will  be  found 
existing  in  society  far  more  numerous  than  is  generally 
supposed. 

It  would  be  needless  to  attempt  an  illustration  of  the 
consequences  which  would  ensue,  were  the  breach  of  this 
law  to  become  universal.  It  is  obvious,  on  the  slightest 
reflection,  that  were  this  to  happen,  human  society  would 
soon  cease  to  exist.  That  prophecy  which  was  given 
forth  respecting  Ishmael  would  then  receive  a  most  terri- 
ble and  extensive  accomplishment,  in  the  case  of  every 
'human  agent :  "  His  hand  shall  be  against  every  man,  and 
every  man's  hand  against  him."  Every  man  would  as- 
sume the  character  of  an  infernal  fiend ;  every  lethal  wea- 
pon would  be  prepared  and  furbished  for  slaughter  ;  eve- 
ry peaceful  pursuit  and  employment  would  be  instantly 
abandoned ;  the  voice  of  wailing  and  the  yells  of  fury  and 
despair,  would  be  heard  in  every  family,  in  every  village, 
in  every  city,  in  every  field,  in  every  kingdom,  and  in  ev- 
ery clime.  Every  house,  every  street,  every  valley,  eve- 
ry forest,  every  river,  every  mountain,  and  every  continent 
would  be  strewed  with  fearful  devastation,  and  with  the 
mangled  carcasses  of  the  slain.  The  work  of  destruction 
would  go  on  with  dreadful  rapidity,  till  the  whole  race  of 
man  were  extirpated  from  the  earth,  leaving  this  vast 
globe  a  scene  of  solitude  and  of  desolation,  an  immewse 
sepulchre,  and  a  spectacle  of  horror  to  all  superior  intelli- 
gences.— And,  let  it  be  remembered,  that  such  a  pic- 
ture, horrible  and  revolting  as  it  is,  is  nothing  more  than 
what  would  be  the  natural  result  of  the  principle  of  ha- 
tred^ were  it  left  to  its  native  energies,  and  were  it  not 
controlled,  in  the  course  of  providence,  by  Him  who  sets 
restraining  bounds  to  the  wrath  of  man. 

In  order  to  counteract  the  tendencies  of  this  baleful 
principle,  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  youth  be 
trained  up  in  habits  of  kindness,  tenderness  and  compas- 
sion, both  towards  human  beings,  and  towards  the  inferior 
animals  ;  that  an    abhorrence  should   be  excited  in  their 


TENDENCIES    OF    LOVE.  243 

minds  of  quarrelling,  fighting,  and  all  mischievous  tricks 
and  actions  ;  that  they  be  restrained  from  the  indulgence 
of  malicious  and  resentful  passions  ;  that  every  indication 
of  a  cruel  and  unfeeHng  disposition  be  carefully  couater^ 
acted  ;  and  that  every  tendency  of  the  heart  towards  the 
benevolent  affections,  awd  every  principle  of  active  benefi- 
cence be  cultivated  and  cherished  "with  the  most  sedulous 
care  and  attention.  For,  in  youth,  the  foundation  has 
generally  been  laid  of  those  malevolent  principles  and  pas- 
sions ^fhich  have  led  to  robbery,  assassination,  and  deeds 
of  violen«e, — which  have  filled  the  earth  with  blood  and 
carnage  :  and  which  have  displayed  their  diabolical  ener- 
gy in  so  dreadful  a  manner  amidst  tl|e  contests  of  com' 
munities  and  nations. 

Were  the  disposition  to  indulge  hatred,  which  leads  to 
every  species  of  murder,  completely  counteracted,  the  great- 
est proportion  of  those  evils  which  now  afflict  our  world, 
would  cease  to  exist.  Human  sacrifices  would  no  longer 
bleed  upon  Pagan  altars  ;  the  American  Indians  would  no 
longer  torture  to  death  their  prisoners  taken  in  war,  nor 
the  New  Zealaaders  feast  upon  the  flesh  and  the  blood  of 
their  enemies^  The  widows  of  Hindostan  would  no  Ior- 
ger  be  urged  to  burn  themselves  alive  on  the  corpses  of 
their  deceased  husbands  ;  nor  would  the  mothers  of  Chi- 
na imbrue  thuir  hands  in  the  blood  of  their  infant  offspring. 
The  practice  of  Duelling  wosld  forever  cease,  and  would 
be  universally  execrated  as  an  oiftrage  on  common  sense, 
and  on  every  generous  and  hum.ane  feeling,  and  as  tha 
silly  attempt  of  a  puny  mortal  to  gratify  wounded  pride 
or  disappointed  ambition,  at  the  expense  of  the  life  of  his 
follow  creature.  Despotism  would  throw  aside  its  iron 
3ceptr«,  and  the  nations  would  be  ruled  with  the  law  of 
love  ?  and  plot?,  conspiracies,  treasons  and  massacres 
would  be  attempted  no  more.  The  fires  of  the  Inquisition 
would  cease  to  be  kindled,  the  supposed  heretic  would  no 
longer  be  consigned  to  the  horrors  of  a  gloomy  dungeoH, 
racks  arid  gibbets  and  guillotines  would  be  shivered  to 
pieces  and  thrown  into  the  flames,  and  the  spirit  of  cru- 
elty and  persecution  would  be  extirpated  from  the  earth. 
Kriot,  tumuh,  and  contention  would  be  banished  from  our 
sti-eetis,  and  harmony  and  concord  would  prevail  through- 
out all  our  borders*     War  would  forever  cease  to  desolata 


244  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

the  nations  ;  the  confused  noise  of  invading  armies,  the 
sounds  of  martial  music,  the  groans  of  dying  victims,  and 
tlie  hoarse  shouts  of  conquerors,  would  be  heard  no  more. 
Peace  would  descend  from  heaven  to  dwell  with  man  on 
earth ;  prosperity  would  follow  in  her  train,  science  would 
enlarge  its  boundaries  and  shed  its  benign  influence  upon 
all  ranks ;  the  useful  arts  would  flourish  and  advance  to- 
wards perfection ;  philanthropy  would  difluse  its  thou- 
sand blessings  in  every  direction,  and  every  man  would 
sit  "  under  his  vine  and  fig-tree"  in  perfect  security  from 
all  danger  or  annoyance- 


SEVENTH   COMMANDMENT. 


"  TAow  shalt  not  commit  adultery ^ 

This  commandment  is  to  be  viewed  as  comprehending, 
"Vfithin  its  prohibition,  every  species  of  lewdness,  boih  in 
thought,  vrord,  and  action  ;  as  adultery,  fornication,  incesl, 
polygamy,  &c. ;  and  likewise  all  those  licentious  desires 
and  affections  from  which  such  actions  proceed.  In  this 
comprehensive  sense  it  is  explained  by  our  Saviour,  in  his 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  and  by  the  apostles,  in  their  letters 
to  the  Christian  Churches.  It  is  founded  on  the  distinc- 
tion of  sexes  which  exists  among  mankind,  and  on  the  law 
of  Marriage,  which  was  promulgated  immediately  after  the 
croation  of  the  first  pair — a  law  which  was  intended  to 
Hriiit,  and  to  regulate  the  intercourse  of  the  sexes  ;  and  to 
promote  purity,  aflection,  and  order,  among  the  several 
generations  of  mankind.  By  this  law  the  marriage  union 
is  limited  to  two  individuals.  He  who  made  mankind  at 
the  beginning,  says  Christ,  made  them  male  ami  female, 
and  said,  "  For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave  father  and 
mother  and  shall  cleave  to  his  wife ;  and  they  twain  shali 
be  one  flesh."  And,  it  might  easily  be  shown,  from  an 
induction  of  facts,  and  i'rom  a  consideration  of  tlie  presejit 
circumstances  of  the  human  rac^e,  that  this  jaw,  aifd  this 
alone,  is  calculated  to  promote  the  mutual  affection  of  tke 
jHarried  pais,  and  to  secure  the  peace  and  happiness  of  faijti- 


LAW    OF    MARRIAGE.  245 

ilies,  and  the  harmony  of  general  society.  By  this  law 
the  union  is  made  permanent^  so  long  as  the  parties  exist 
in  this  world.  "  What  God  hath  joined,  let  not  man  put 
asunder."  This  regulation  has  a  tendency  to  promote 
union  of  affection  and  interests,  and  to  induce  the  parties 
to  bear  with  patience  the  occasional  inconveniences  and 
contentions  which  may  arise.  Were  divorces  generally 
permitted,  on  the  ground  of  unsuitableness  of  temper,  or 
occasional  jars,  society  would  soon  be  shaken  to  its  cen- 
tre. Every  real  or  supposed  insult,  or  provocation,  would 
be  followed  out,  till  it  terminated  in  a  separation  of  the 
parties  ;  families  would  thus  be  torn  into  shreds ;  the  ed- 
ucation of  the  young  would  be  neglected  ;  parental  au- 
thority disregarded  ;  and  a  door  opened  for  the  preva- 
lence of  unbounded  licentiousness.  Soon  after  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Revolution  in  France,  a  law,  permit- 
ting divorces,  w^as  passed  by  the  National  Assembly ; 
and,  in  less  than  three  months  from  its  date,  nearly  as 
many  divorces  as  marriages  were  registered  in  the  city  of 
Paris.  In  the  whole  kingdom,  within  the  space  of  eigh- 
teen months,  upwards  of  twenty  thousand  divorces  were 
effected  ;  and  the  nation  sunk  into  a  state  of  moral  degra- 
dation, from  the  effects  of  which  it  has  never  yet  recovered. 
This  is  one  of  the  many  practical  proofs  presented  before 
us,  of  the  danger  of  infringing  on  any  of  the  moral  arrange- 
ments which  the  Creator  has  established. 

The  precept  under  consideration  is  to  be  considered 
as  directly  opposed  to  all  promiscuous  and  licentious  in- 
tercourse between  the  sexes.  And  the  reasonableness  of 
this  prohibition  will  appear,  if  we  consider,  for  a  moment, 
what  would  be  the  consequences  which  would  inevitably 
follow,  were  this  law  to  be  set  aside,  or  universally  violat- 
ed. A  scene  of  unbounded  licentiousness  would  ensue, 
which  would  degrade  the  human  character,  which  would 
destroy  almost  all  the  existing  relations  of  society,  and 
unhinge  the  whole  fabric  of  the  moral  world. — One 
end  of  the  institution  of  marriage  was,  to  "  replenish  the 
earth"  with  inhabitants,  to  perpetuate  the  successive 
generations  of  men,  and  to  train  up  a  virtuous  and  intel- 
ligent race  to  people  the  congregation  of  the  heavens. 
But  this  end  would  be  ultimately  frustrated,  were  a  pro- 
miscuous and  unlimited  intercourse  to  become  either 
21 


Z4(j  THB    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RfiLIGION. 

general  or  universal.  For,  it  has  been  found,  that,  wher- 
ever such  intercourse  partially  prevails,  it  strikes  at  the 
root  of  human  existence,  and  has  a  tendency  to  prevent 
the  operation  of  that  law  which  the  Creator  impressed  on 
all  living  beings,  "  Increase  and  multiply."  In  the  haunts 
of  licentiousness,  in  large  cities,  and  m  all  such  societies 
as  those  which  formerly  existed  in  Otaheite,  under  the 
name  of  Arreoijj  the  laws  of  nature  are  violated,  the 
course  of  generation  obstructed,  and  numbers  of  human 
beings  strangled  at  the  very  porch  of  existence.  So  that 
were  mankind  at  large  to  relapse  into  such  licentious  prac- 
tices, the  human  race,  instead  of  increasing  in  number,  to 
replenish  the  desolate  wastes  of  our  globe,  according  to 
the  Creator's  intention,  would  rapidly  decrease  every  suc- 
ceeding generation,  till,  after  the  lapse  of  a  fevv  centuries, 
human  beings  would  be  entirely  extirpated,  and  the  earth, 
barren  and  uncultivated,  would  be  left  to  the  dominion  of 
the  beasts  of  the  forest. 

But,  although  such  a  distant  event  were  to  be  altogeth- 
er disregarded,  the  immediate  consequences  of  such  un- 
hallowed courses  would  be  dismal  in  the  extreme.  That 
union  of  heart,  affection,  and  of  interests,  which  sub- 
sists between  the  great  majority  of  married  pairs,  and 
those  reciprocal  sympathies  and  endearments  which  flow 
from  this  union,  would  be  altogether  unknown.  The 
female  sex,  (as  already  happens  in  some  nations,)  with 
minds  uncultivated  and  unpolished,  would  be  degraded 
into  mere  instruments  of  sensitive  enjoyment,  into  house- 
hold slaves,  or  into  something  analogous  to  beasts  of  bur- 
den, and  would  be  bought  and  sold  like  cattle  and  hor- 
ses. The  minds  of  all  would  be  degraded  to  the  level  of 
brutes,  and  would  be  incapable  of  prosecuting  either  ra- 
tional or  religious  pursuits.  Their  bodies  would  be  wast- 
ed and  enfeebled  with  squalid  disease  :  the  infirmities  of 
a  premature  old  age  would  seize  upon  them  ;  and  before 
they  had  "  lived  half  their  days,"  they  would  sink  into 
the  grave  in  hopelessness  and  sorrow.  A  universal  sot- 
tishness,  and  disregard  of  every  thing  except  present  sen- 
sual enjoyment,  would  seize  upon  the  whole  njass  of  so- 
ciety, and  benumb  the  human  faculties  :  the  God  of  hea- 
ven would  be  overlooked,  and  the  important  realities  of 
an  immortal    existence   completely   banished    from   their 


EFFECTS    OF    LICENTIOUSNESS.  247 

thoughts  and  affections.  Thousands,  and  ten  tliousands 
of  intunts  would  be  strangled  at  their  entrance  into  lite  ; 
and  the  greater  part  of  those  who  were  spared,  would  be 
doomed  to  a  wretched  and  precarious  existence.  'I'he 
training  up  of  the  youthful  mind  to  knowledge  and  virtue 
would  be  quite  neglected  ;  and  all  that  civility  and  soft- 
ness of  manners,  which  'are  now  anquired  under  the  eye 
of  parental  authority  and  affection,  would  be  unknown  in 
society.  The  endearing  relations  of  father  and  mother,  of 
brothers  and  sisters,  of  uncles,  aunts  and  cousins,  and  all 
the  other  ramifications  of  kindred,  which  now  produce  so 
many  interesting  and  delightful  associations,  would  fail  to 
be  recognized  among  men ;  for  in  such  a  state  of  society, 
the  natural  relations  of  mankind  would  be  either  disregard- 
ed, or  blended  in  undistinguishable  confusion. 

Children,  neglected  or  abandor¥3d  by  their  mothers, 
would  be  left  to  the  full  influence  of  their  own  wayward 
and  impetuous  passions  ;  they  would  depend  for  subsis- 
tence, either  on  accident,  on  pilfering,  or  on  the  tender 
mercies  of  general  society ;  they  would  wander  about  as 
vagabonds,  tattered  and  forlorn ;  their  hearts  shrivelled 
with  unkindness,  their  bodies  chilled  with  the  rains  and 
biting  frosts,  and  deformed  with  filthiness  and  disease. 
They  would  be  left  to  perish  in  the  open  fields,  without  a 
friend  to  close  their  eyes ;  and  their  bodies,  unnoticed  and 
imknown,  would  remain  as  a  prey,  to  be  devoured  by  the 
fowls  of  heaven.  In  every  land  would  be  seen  multitudes 
of  houseless  and  shivering  females,  set  adrift  by  their  se- 
ducers, wandering  with  their  hungry  and  half-famished 
offspring,  the  objects  of  derision  and  contempt ;  and  im- 
ploring, in  vain,  the  comforts  of  food,  of  shelter,  and  pro- 
tection. For,  among  human  beings,  in  such  a  degraded 
state,  the  kindly  and  benevolent  affections  would  seldom 
be  exercised ;  a  cold-blooded  selfishness  and  apathy,  in 
relation  to  the  sufferings  of  others,  would  supplant  all  the 
liner  feelings  of  humanity ;  which  would  dispose  them  to 
view  the  wretched  objects  around  them  with  perfect  in- 
difference, and  even  with  contempt.  "  However  it  may 
be  accounted  for,"  says  Dr.  Paley,  "the  criminal  com- 
merce of  the  sexes  corrupts  and  depraves  the  mind,  and 
the  moral  character,  more  than  any  single  species  of  vice 
whatsoever.     That  ready   perception  of  guilt,  that  prompt 


248  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

and  decisive  resolution  against  it,  which  constitutes  a  vir- 
tuous character,  is  seldom  found  in  persons  addicted  to 
these  indulgences.  They  prepare  an  easy  admission  for 
every  sin  that  seeks  it ;  are,  in  low  life,  usually  the  first 
stage  in  men's  progress  to  the  most  desperate  villanies  ; 
and,  in  high  life,  to  tliat  lamented  dissoluteness  of  princi- 
ple, which  manifests  itself  in  a  profligacy  of  public  con- 
duct, and  a  contempt  of  the  obligations  of  religion  and  of 
moral  probity.  Add  to  this,  that  habits  of  libertinism  in- 
capacitate and  indispose  the  mind  for  all  intellectual,  moral, 
and  religious  pleasures."* 

In  short,  in  such  a  state  of  society  as  would  inevitably 
accompany  a  general  violation  of  the  seventh  precept  of 
the  moral  law,  all  the  softness  and  loveliness  of  filial  piety, 
of  parental  affection,  of  brotherly  attachment,  and  of  the 
intercourse  of  kindred,  would  for  ever  cease  ;  science  and 
literature  would  be  neglected ;  and  churches,  colleges, 
schools  and  academies  would  crumble  into  ruins  :  a  suffi- 
cient stimulus  would  be  wanting  to  the  exercise  of  indus- 
try and  economy ;  a  lazy  apathy  would  seize  upon  the 
mass  of  society ;  the  earth  would  cease  to  be  cultivated, 
and  would  soon  be  covered  with  briars  and  thorns,  or 
changed  into  the  barren  wastes  of  an  African  desert.  The 
foundation  of  all  regular  government  would  be  undermin- 
ed ;  for  it  is  chiefly  in  those  habits  of  submission  and  obe- 
dience which  are  acquired  under  the  domestic  roof,  that 
the  foundations  are  laid  of  that  subordination  which  is  ne- 
cessary to  secure  the  peace  and  order  of  mankind.  Soci- 
ety would,  consequently,  be  thrown  into  a  state  of  disor- 
der, and  would  speedily  sink  into  oblivion,  in  the  mire  of 
its  own  pollution. 

The  positions  now  stated  could  be  illustrated,  were  it 
expedient,  by  a  variety  of  melancholy  facts,  borrowed  from 
the  history  and  the  present  state,  both  of  savage  and  of 
civilized  nations.  The  annals  of  Turkey,  of  Persia,  of 
Hindostan,  of  China,  of  Japan,  of  the  Society  Isles,  and 
even  of  the  civilized  nations  of  Europe  and  America, 
would  furnish  abundance  of  impressive  facts,  to  demon- 
strate the  demoralizing,  and  brutalizing,  and  miserable 
effects  which  would  flow  from  a  spirit  of  universal  licen- 


*  Principles  of  Moral  and  Political  Philosophy,  Book  III.  Part.  Ill, 
chap.  2. 


'    EXEMPLIFICATIONS    OF    LICENTIOUSNESS.  249 

>ioiisncss, — What  revolting  scenes  would  open  to  view, 
were  we  to  survey  the  haunts  of  licentiousness  which 
abound  in  Algiers,  in  Constantinople,  in  Teheran,  in  Pe- 
kin,  in  Canton,  in  Jeddo,  and  other  populous  cities,  where 
the  restraints  of  Christianity  are  altogether  unknown  !  In 
such  receptacles  of  impurity,  every  moral  feeling  is  bhmt- 
ed,  and  every  moral  principle  abandoned.  Impiety,  pro- 
fanity, falsehood,  treachery,  perjury,  and  drunkenness, 
rear  their  unblushing  fronts  ;  and  thefts,  robberies,  and 
murders,  follow  in  their  train.  The  unhappy  female  who 
enters  these  antichambers  of  hell,  is,  for  the  most  part,  cut 
off  from  all  hopes  of  retreat.  From  that  moment,  the 
shades  of  moral  darkness  begin  to  close  around  her  ;  she 
bids  a  last  adieu  to  the  smiles  of  tenderness  and  sympathy, 
to  the  kind  embraces  of  father  and  mother,  of  sisters  and 
brothers,  to  the  house  of  God,  to  the  instructions  of  his 
word,  and  to  the  society  of  the  faithful.  Instead  of  the 
cheering  sounds  of  the  Gospel  of  peace,  her  ears  become 
accustomed  to  oaths,  and  curses,  and  horrid  imprecations  ; 
the  voice  of  conscience  is  hushed  amidst  the  din  of  revel- 
ry and  riot  ;  every  generous  feeling  is  shrunk  and  wither- 
ed ;  she  stalks  abroad,  like  a  painted  corpse,  to  fill  with 
horror  the  virtuous  mind,  and  to  allure  the  unwary  to  the 
shades  of  death  ;  till  at  length,  wasted  with  consumption 
and  loathsome  disease,  she  is  stretched  upon  the  bed  of 
languishing,  abandoned  by  her  former  associates,  deprived 
of  the  least  drop  of  consolation,  haunted  with  the  ghastly 
apparitions  of  departed  joys,  and  the  forebodings  of  futu- 
rity, and  sinks,  *'  in  the  midst  of  her  days,''  into  the  cham- 
bers of  the  grave,  without  the  least  hope  of  a  glorious  re- 
surrection.— And  if  we  consider,  that  this  is  a  picture  of 
the  wretchedness,  not  only  of  a  few  individuals,  but  of 
thousands,  of  tens  of  thousands,  and  of  millions  of  human 
beings,  it  is  impossible  to  describe  the  accumulated  mass 
of  misery  which  impurity  has  created,  or  to  form  any  ade- 
quate conception  of  the  horrible  and  revolting  scenes  of 
wretchedness  which  would  be  displayed,  were  the  law 
under  consideration  to  be  set  aside  by  all  the  inhabitants  of 
our  globe. 

There  is  a  certain  levity  and  flippancy  of  speech,  in  re- 
lation  to  this  subject,  which  prevails   among  many  who 
wish  to  be  considered    as   respectable   characters,  which 
21* 


250  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

proceeds  from  a  contracted  view  of  the  consequences  of 
human  actions.  They  conceive,  that  no  great  harm  can 
be  done  to  society,  by  a  few  insulated  actions  of  the 
kind  alluded  to,  especially  if  they  be  concealed  from  gene- 
ral observation  ;  and  that  the  Creator  will  be  disposed  to 
make  every  allowance  for  human  frailty.  But  let  such 
remember,  that,  if  it  were  right  to  violate  this,  or  any 
other  law  of  the  Creator,  in  one  instance,  it  would  be  right 
in  a  hundred,  in  a  thousand,  in  a  million,  and  in  eight 
hundred  millions  of  instances  ;  and  then  all  the  revolting 
scenes  now  described,  and  thousands  of  similar  effects, 
of  which  we  cannot  at  present  form  a  distinct  conception, 
would  inevitably  take  place.  And,  therefore,  every  man 
who,  from  levity  and  thoughtlessness,  or  from  a  disregard 
to  the  laws  of  Heaven,  persists  in  the  occasional  indul- 
gence of  such  unhallowed  gratifications,  indulges  in  a  prac- 
tice which,  were  it  universally  to  prevail,  would  sap  the 
foundations  of  all  moral  order,  exterminate  the  most  en- 
dearing relations  of  society,  prostrate  man  below  the  level 
of  the  brute,  open  the  flood-gates  of  all  iniquity,  diffuse 
misery  over  the  whole  mass  of  human  beings,  and,  at 
length,  empty  the  world  of  its  inhabitants. 

The  precept  which  we  have  now  been  considering,  is 
one  which,  in  all  probability,  is  confined,  in  its  references, 
to  the  inhabitants  of  our  globe.  At  any  rate,  it  would  be 
quite  nugatory,  and  therefore  can  have  no  place,  in  the 
moral  code  of  a  world  where  the  distinction  of  sexes  does 
not  exist.  And  even  in  those  worlds  where  a  similar  dis- 
tinction may  exist,  the  very  different  circumstances  in 
which  their  inhabitants  are  placed,  may  render  the  pro- 
mulgation of  such  a  law  altogether  unnecessary.  It  ap- 
pears to  be  a  temporary  regulation,  to  remain  in  force  on- 
ly during  the  limited  period  of  the  present  economy  of 
Providence  ;  for,  in  the  future  destination  of  the  righteous, 
we  are  told,  tliat  "  they  neither  marry  nor  are  given  in 
marriage,  but  are  as  the  angels  of  God  in  heaven."  And, 
therefore,  it  is  probable,  that  the  recognition  of  such  a  law 
will  not  be  necessary,  in  the  intercourses  which  take  place 
among  redeemed  men  in  the  eternal  world  ;  but  the  prin- 
ciple on  which  it  is  founded,  and  from  which  it  flows, 
will  run  througli  all  the  other  new  relations  and  circum- 
stances in  which  they  may  be  placed.      In    the   existing 


LAW  RESPECTING  PROPERTY.  251 

circumstances  of  mankind,  however,  the  operation  of  this 
law  is  essentially  necessary  to  the  stability  and  the  happi- 
ness of  the  moral  woiid  ;  and,  were  its  requisitions  uni- 
versally observed,  the  melancholy  scenes  to  which  I  have 
alluded  would  no  longer  exist ;  the  present  and  everlast- 
ing ruin  of  thousands,  and  of  millions,  would  be  prevent- 
ed ;  and  a  scene  of  happiness  and  love,  such  as  the  world 
has  never  yet  witnessed,  would  be  displayed  among  all  the 
families  of  the  earth. 


THE    EIGHTH  COMMANDMENT. 

"  Thou  shall  not  steaV 

When  the  Creator  had  arranged  our  globe  in  the 
form  in  which  we  now  behold  it,  he  furnished  it  with 
every  thing  requisite  for  the  sustenance  and  accommodation 
of  living  beings,  and  bestowed  the  whole  of  its  riches  and 
decorations  as  a  free  grant  to  the  sons  of  men.  To  man 
he  said,  *'  Behold,  I  have  given  you  every  herb  bear- 
ing seed,  which  is  upon  the  face  of  allthe  earth,  and  ev- 
ery tree  in  the  which  is  the  fruit  of  a  tree  yielding  seed  ; 
to  you  it  shall  be  for  meat."  Ever  since  the  period  when 
this  grant  was  made,  God  has  not  left  himself  without  a 
witness  to  his  benignity,  in  that  he  has  unceasingly  be- 
stowed on  mankind  "  rain  from  heaven,  and  fruitful  sea- 
sons, filling  their  hearts  with  food  and  gladness."  The 
earth  has,  in  every  age,  brought  forth  abundance,  to  sup- 
ply the  wants  of  all  the  living  beings  it  contains  ;  and 
there  is  still  ample  room  on  its  surface,  for  the  accommo- 
dation and  support  of  thousands  of  millions  of  the  hu- 
man race,  in  addition  to  those  which  now  exist.  But 
mankmd  have  never  yet  agreed  about  the  division  and  al- 
lotment of  this  free  and  ample  gift  of  the  Creator ;  for 
every  one  is  disposed  to  think  that  his  share  in  it  is  too 
small,  and  is  continually  attempting  to  make  inroads  upon 
the  allotment  of  his  neighbours.  And  to  this  disposition 
is  to  be  ascribed  more  than  one  half  of  all  the  evils  which 
have  afflicted  the  world  in  every  age  since  the  fall  of 
man.  To  counteract  such  a  propensity  in  mankind,  and , 
to  regulate  their  dispositions  and  conduct  in  relation  to 


So2  THE     PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

property,  is  the  great  object  of  this  command,  "Thou 
shalt  not  steal." 

To  steal,  is  to  take  the  property  of  others,  without 
their  knowledge  or  consent,  and  to  apply  it  to  our  own 
use.  The  most  flagrant  and  violent  breaches  of  the  law, 
consist  in  robbery,  housebreaking,  pilfering,  plunder  and 
pillage.  But  it  may  be  violated  in  a  thousand  different 
ways,  of  which  human  laws  seldom  take  any  cognizance. 
It  is  violated  by  every  species  of  fraud  by  which  our 
neighbour  may  be  injured  in  his  wealth  or  property.  It 
is  violated  in  the  ordinary  commerce  of  mankind,  by  the 
use  of  false  weights  and  measures  ;  by  sellhig  deteriorat- 
ed commodities  as  if  they  were  sound  and  good  ;  by  de- 
preciating the  value  of  what  we  wish  to  buy,  and  con- 
cealing the  defects  of  what  we  sell ;  by  contracting  debts 
which  we  have  no  prospect  of  discharging,  and  neglect- 
ing to  pay  them  when  they  are  due  ;  by  breaches  of  trust, 
in  the  case  of  servants,  guardians,  executors,  or  pub- 
lic officers,  embezzling  and  squandering  away  the  sub- 
stance of  others,  or  applying  it  to  their  own  use. — It 
IS  also  violated  by  trespassing  on  the  property  of  oth- 
ers, so  as  to  injure  fences,  gardens,  orchards,  planta- 
tions or  cornfields  ;  and  by  that  disposition  to  vulgar 
mischief  which  delights  in  breaking  lamps,  windows,  and 
fences  ;  in  injuring  and  defacing  public  buildings,  walks, 
and  ornamental  improvements  ;  in  hacking  and  carving 
walls,  wainscottings,  doors  and  ballustrades  ;  and  in  cutting 
down  trees  and  shrubs  plaiUed  for  use  or  for  ornament. — 
It  is  violated  when  we  retain  borrowed  articles  beyond  a 
reasonal)le  time,  when  we  suffer  them  to  be  injured 
through  negligence,  when  we  circulate  them  from  one 
person  to  another,  without  the  knowledge  or  consent  of 
the  proprietors,  and  when  we  apply  them  to  purposes  for 
which  they  were  never  intended,  and  which  the  lender 
never  contemplated. — In  short,  this  law  is  violated  by 
every  species  of  idleness,  pride,  vanity,  gaming,  and  pro- 
digality, which  has  a  tendency  to  injure  the  external  pros- 
perity, either  of  our  own  family,  or  of  the  families  of 
others. 

Were  the  law  which  forbids  those  actions  to  be  entirely 
set  aside,  or  universally  violated,  it  is  easy  to  foresee, 
that,  in  a  very  short  time,  the  whole  assemblage  of  hu- 


DISHONESTY    AND    ITS    CONSEQUENCES.  253 

man  beings  would  be  transformed  into  a  set  of  lawlei^s 
banditti.  Peace,  harmony,  and  good  neighbourhood,  would 
be  unknown  among  men ;  the  strong  would  plunder  the 
possessions  of  the  weak,  and  deprive  them  of  every  en- 
joyment; children  M'^ould  rob  their  parents,  and  parents 
their  children ;  brothers  would  plunder  brothers,  and  ser- 
vants their  masters ;  buying  and  selling  would  cease,  and 
all  regular  trade  and  commerco  would  be  destroyed :  ev- 
ery man's  covetous  eye  would  be  directed  to  the  wealth 
and  property  of  his  neighbour,  with  a  view  of  depriving 
him  of  his  enjoyments  ;  and  a  thousand  schemes,  either  of 
treachery,  or  of  open  violence,  would  be  contrived  to 
effectuate  his  purpose.  Murders  would  be  daily  contriv- 
ed and  perpetrated,  for  the  purpose  of  more  easily  obtain- 
ing possession  of  the  wealth  and  estates  of  the  powerful 
and  the  opulent ;  and  every  man's  life  and  happiness  would 
be  at  the  mercy  of  his  covetous  neighbour.  The  inhabi- 
tants of  one  province  would  rise  against  those  of  another, 
and,  by  force  of  arms,  plunder  them  of  all  their  earthly 
treasures.  One  nation  would  invade  the  territories  of  ano- 
ther, for  the  purpose  of  ravaging  its  cities  and  provinces, 
and  of  appropriating  its  wealth  and  riches  ;  and,  in  the 
midst  of  such  lawless  depredations,  towns  would  be  de- 
molished, villages  consumed  to  ashes,  the  fruits  of  the  earth 
destroyed,  men,  women,  and  children,  trampled  under  foot, 
and  crushed  to  death,  and  every  city  and  fertile  field  would 
present  a  scene  of  carnage  and  desolation.  In  such  a 
state  of  society,  no  man  could  have  confidence  in  his 
brother ;  fear  would  be  on  every  side  ;  uncertainty  would 
attend  every  pursuit  and  possession ;  of  the  wealth 
which  any  one  had  acquired,  and  of  the  enjoyments  which 
he  possessed  to-day,  he  might  be  deprived  before  to-mor- 
row ;  and  if,  by  means  of  circumspection  and  vigilance, 
and  the  strong  arm  of  power,  he  were  enabled  to  main- 
tain possession  of  his  property  for  one  year,  he  could  have 
no  rational  ground  to  expect,  that  he  would  enjoy  it  in 
security  for  another.  And,  as  no  one  would  think  of 
engagmg  in  regular  labour,  while  he  could  subsist  in 
plundering  his  weaker  neighbours — the  earth  would 
soon  be  left  uncultivated,  the  useful  arts  M'ould  be  aban- 
doned, agricultural  industry  and  improvement  would  cease, 
and  a   universal    famine    would   overspread   every   land» 


254  THE    PHILOSOPHY     OF    RELIGION. 

which  would  thin  the  human  race,  and  gradually  exter- 
minate them  from  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Such  scenes  of  plunder,  and  depredation,  have  in  fact 
been  partially  realized  in  every  age  and  nation  of  the  world, 
and  are  still  realized,  to  a  certain  extent,  even  in  nations 
which  boast  of  their  progress  in  religion,  in  civilization, 
and  in  science.  The  annals  of  the  human  race  con- 
tain little  more  than  a  number  of  melancholy  records  of 
wholesale  robbery,  committed  by  one  tribe  of  human  beings 
upon  another.  One  public  robber  and  desperado  has  aris- 
en after  another,  in  constant  succession,  and,  at  the  head  of 
numerous  armies,  has  violated  the  territories  of  peace- 
ful industry,  demolished  the  habitations  of  their  unof- 
fending inhabitants,  broken  down  their  furniture,  and 
consigned  it  to  the  flames  ;  wasted  and  devoured  the 
fruits  of  their  ground,  and  plundered  them  of  every 
thing  which  could  render  existence  desirable.  And  the 
inferior  ranks  of  mankind,  stimulated  by  the  same  princi- 
ples which  actuate  their  superiors,  have  supported  a  sys- 
tem of  peculation,  of  cheating,  of  litigation,  of  injustice 
and  oppression,  which,  were  it  left  solely  to  its  own  na- 
tive energies,  would  soon  undermine  the  foundations  of 
the  moral  world.  That  such  principles  and  practices  have 
never  yet  become  universal  in  their  operation,  is  not  owing 
so  much  to  any  deficiency  in  their  malignant  tendency,  as 
to  the  overruling  providence  of  the  Moral  Governor  of  tbe 
world,  who  has,  by  his  influence,  and  his  physical  arrange- 
ments, confined  the  lawless  passions  of  men  Avithin  certain 
bounds,  beyond  which  they  cannot  pass. 

Were  a  principle  of  honesty  and  of  justice,  in  regard  to 
property,  to  pervade  the  mind  of  every  human  being ;  or, 
in  other  words,  were  the  law  to  which  I  am  now  advert- 
ing universally  recognized,  a  new  scene  would  open  upon 
the  moral  woild,  altogether  diflerent  from  what  has  hither- 
to been  displayed  in  the  transactions  of  mankind.  The 
iron  rod  of  oppression  would  be  shivered  to  atoms,  and 
destroying  armies  would  no  longer  ravage  the  habitations 
of  men.  The  crowds  of  sharpers,  cheats  and  jockies,  that 
now  stalk  through  the  world,  with  unblushing  fronts,  to 
entrap  the  unwary,  would  forever  disappear  from  the 
world ;  and  impartial  justice  would  reign  triumphant  over 
every  department  of  society.     No  malignant  purpose  would 


EFFECTS    OF    HONESTY.  255 

ever  be  formed  to  injure  any  one  in  his  wealth  and  pro- 
perty ;  and  all  the  harassing  law-suits  and  prosecutions, 
which  now  distress  so  many  thousands  of  families,  would 
be  swept  away.  Every  loan  of  money,  books,  furniture, 
or  utensils,  would  be  returned  without  injury,  and  without 
unnecessary  delay  ;  and  every  debt  punctually  discharged, 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  obligation,  and  at  the  period 
at  which  it  was  due  :  Every  bargain  would  be  transacted 
on  the  principles  of  immutable  justice,  and  the  conditions 
of  every  contract  faithfully  performed :  No  suspicions  of 
knavery  would  ever  harbour  in  the  breast,  nor  the  least 
alarm  at  the  possible  consequences  of  any  mercantile 
transaction.  Public  buildings  would  be  secure  from  the 
inroads  of  the  genius  of  mischief,  and  gardens  and  orchards 
from  every  wanton  depredation.  Locks,  and  bars,  and 
bolts,  would  no  longer  be  required  for  securing  our  sub- 
stance from  the  pilferer  and  the  robber  ;  and  the  iron  grat- 
ings of  a  bridewell  or  a  jail,  would  never  again  remind  us 
of  the  dishonesty  and  the  depravity  of  man.  Servants 
would  be  universally  honest  and  trust-worthy,  and  the 
property  of  their  masters  v/ould  be  regarded  as  a  sacred 
deposit. 

And  what  a  happy  change  would  such  a  state  of  society- 
introduce  among  mankind  !  What  a  host  of  cares,  anxi- 
eties, suspicions,  vexations,  and  perplexities,  would  be 
chased  away  !  and  what  a  world  of  conveniences,  and  of 
delightful  associations  would  thus  be  created  !  Every  mer- 
chant, by  marking  the  price  and  the  quality  of  each  com- 
modity, might  leave  his  goods  open  to  the  inspection  of  the 
public,  and  enjoy  himself  either  in  the  bosom  of  his  fam- 
ily, or  in  active  services  for  the  good  of  the  community, 
without  the  least  risk  of  loss  or  of  depredations  ;  and  ev- 
ery purchaser  might  depend  upon  procuring  the  articles 
he  wanted  at  their  just  value.  Every  traveller  would  pro- 
secute his  journey,  either  by  day  or  by  night,  without  the 
least  apprehension  from  sharpers  or  robbers,  and  without 
being  harassed  with  tlie  impositions  of  innkeepers,  coach- 
men, carriers,  and  porters.  Every  one's  mind  would  be  at 
perfect  ease,  in  regard  to  his  property,  whether  he  were 
at  home  or  abroad,  in  health  or  in  sickness  ;  being  firmly 
•persuaded  that  every  trust  would  be  faithfully  discharged, 
and  every  commercial  concern  fairly  and  honourably  trans- 


256  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF  RELIGION. 

acted.  Selfishness  and  rapacity  would  give  place  to  a 
spirit  of  justice,  equity  and  benevolence ;  contentions, 
jockeyings,  and  altercations  would  cease  ;  peace  and  con- 
cord would  prevail,  and  righteousness  and  truth  would 
shed  their  benign  influence  over  the  whole  brotherhood  of 
mankind. 

THE    NINTH    COMMAKDMENT. 

"  Thou  shall  not  hear  false  witness  against  thy  neighbour. "** 

This  command,  like  most  of  the  others,  is  expressed  in 
^•negative  form.  It  is  directed  against  every  species  of 
falsehood,  and,  consequently,  must  be  viewed  as  inculcat- 
ing a  sacred  and  universal  adherence  to  truth  in  all  our 
thoughts,  words  and  actions.  In  the  remarks  I  may  throw 
out  in  relation  to  this  precept,  I  shall  consider  it  chiefly  in 
its  positive  form,  as  commanding  an  inviolable  attachment 
to  truth.  Truth  may  be  considered  in  two  diflferent  points 
of  view — logical  truth,  which  consists  in  the  conformity  of 
a  proposition  or  assertion  with  the  actual  state  of  things  ; 
and  moral  truth,  which  consists  in  the  agreement  of  our 
words  and  actions  with  our  thoughts.  Logical  truth  be- 
longs to  the  thing  or  the  fact  asserted  ;  moral  truth,  or 
•what  is  termed  veracity^  has  a  reference  to  the  person  who 
utters  it.  In  both  these  respects,  truth  is  of  immense 
importance  to  all  intelligent  beings. — The  importance  of 
truth  and  veracity  will  appear  from  the  following  consid- 
erations. 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  the  bond  of  society,  and  the 
foundation  of  all  that  confidence  and  intercourse  which 
subsist  among  rational  beings.  By  far  the  greater  part 
of  all  the  knowledge  we  possess,  has  been  derived  from 
the  testimony  of  others.  It  is  from  the  communication  of 
others,  and  from  a  reliance  on  their  veracity,  that  those 
who  were  never  beyond  the  limits  of  Great  Britain,  know 
that  there  are  such  cities  as  Paris,  Vienna,  Constantinople 
and  Cairo ;  and  that  there  are  such  countries  as  Canada, 
Nova  Scotia,  Brazil,  Peru,  Persia,  China,  and  Hindostan. 
It  is  from  the  same  source  that  we  have  learned  the  facts 
of  ancient  and  modern  history,  and  that  there  once  existed 
such  empires  as  the  Greek  and  Roman,  the  Persian,  As- 


IMPORTANCE    OF    TRUTH.  257 

Syrian  and  Babylonian.  On  the  same  gronnd,  the  verac- 
ity of  others,  we  confide  in  all  the  domestic  relations  and 
intercourses  of  life  ;  and  on  this  ground  all  the  transactions 
of  commercial  society,  and  all  the  arrangements  and  op- 
erations of  government  are  conducted.  On  the  implied 
veracity  of  others,  we  retire  from  our  employments  at  cer- 
tain hours,  and  sit  down  to  breakfast  or  dinner ;  and,  on 
the  first  day  of  the  week,  we  assemble  in  a  certain  place, 
at  an  appointed  hour,  for  religious  worship.  On  this 
ground,  the  pupil  confides  in  his  teacher,  for  instruction — 
the  child  in  his  parents,  for  sustenance,  clothing  and  pro- 
tection, the  master  in  his  servant,  for  the  execution  of  his 
orders,  and  the  wife  in  her  husband  for  provision  and  sup- 
port. We  confide  every  moment  in  the  faithfulness  of  the 
Almighty  for  the  regular  returns  of  day  and  night,  of  sum- 
mer and  winter,  of  seed-time  and  harvest.  Could  the  ve- 
racity of  God  be  impeached  or  rendered  liable  to  suspi- 
cion, we  should  remain  in  awful  suspense,  whether  ano- 
ther day  would  again  dawn  upon  the  world,  or  whether  the 
earth  would  be  shattered  to  pieces,  and  its  fragments  dis- 
persed throughout  surrounding  worlds,  before  the  sun  again 
appeared  in  the  horizon.  A  Being  possessed  of  boundless 
knowledge  and  omnipotence,  without  veracity,  would  be 
the  terror  of  the  whole  intelligent  universe,  and  would  fill 
them  with  universal  agitation  and  alarm. 

Again,  truth  is  the  foundation  of  our  present  comfort, 
and  of  our  future  prospects.  On  the  veracity  of  those  illus- 
trious characters  that  have  gone  before  us,  whose  declara- 
tions were  confirmed  by  signs  and  miracles  ;  we  depend 
for  the  hope  of  forgiveness  and  acceptance  with  God,  and 
for  those  rich  sources  of  consolation  which  are  calculated 
to  support  the  mind  under  the  afflictions  of  mortality,  and 
to  cheer  and  animate  us  in  the  prospect  of  a  future  world. 
Our  hopes  of  happiness  beyond  the  grave,  of  the  resurrec- 
tion of  our  bodies  at  the  termination  of  the  present  plan  of 
providence— of  the  renovation  of  the  physical  system  of 
our  globe — of  a  complete  restoration  to  holiness  and  virtue 
— of  a  re-union  with  departed  friends — of  associating 
with  virtuous  beings  of  a  superior  order — of  mingling  in  a 
happier  world  with  all  those  illustrious  saints  who  have 
gone  before  us — of  contemplating  the  manifestations  of  De- 
ity on  a  more  extensive  scale  j  and  of  enjoying  iinmixed 
22 


258  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

felicity  without  interruption,  and  without  end  ;. depend  up- 
on the  testimony  of  the  inspired  writers,  and  the  light  in 
which  we  view  the  truths  or  declarations  which  they  have 
recorded.  And,  therefore,  the  man  who  endeavours  to 
undermine  the  authority  of  the  sacred  records,  or  to  dis- 
tort or  misrepresent  their  meaning  by  sophistical  reason- 
ings, ought  to  be  viewed  as  a  deceiver,  and  as  an  enemy 
to  his  species,  who  wishes  to  deprive  his  fellow-men  of 
their  most  substantial  enjoyments,  and  of  their  most  cheer- 
ing prospects. 

Again,  truth  and  veracity  are  of  the  utmost  importance 
in  relation  to  the  views  we  ought  to  take  of  the  character 
of  God.  The  moral  character  of  the  Deity  is  delineated  in 
the  Scriptures,  and  we  are  enabled  to  contemplate  this 
character,  in  its  true  light,  in  so  far  as  we  understand  and 
appreciate  the  delineations  of  the  sacred  wTiters.  But 
his  character  is  also  exhibited  in  the  w^oiks  of  creation 
and  providence.  Every  physical  law  of  nature,  every  ar- 
rangement in  the  material  system,  every  movement  which 
exists  in  the  boundless  universe  ;  every  apparent  deviation 
from  the  general  course  of  nature,  as  in  the  case  of  earth- 
quakes and  volcanoes  ;  every  event  in  the  history  of  nations, 
every  fact  in  relation  to  the  physical  and  moral  condition 
of  the  different  tribes  of  the  human  race,  and  every  ar- 
rangement in  reference  to  the  lower  ranks  of  animated  be- 
ings— embodies  in  it  an  exhibition  of  certain  aspects  of 
the  divine  character ;  and  these  aspects,  if  fairly  represen- 
ted, ought  to  harmonize  with  the  delineations  contained 
in  the  sacred  records.  To  ascertain  such  facts  as  those  to 
which  I  now  alkide,  requires,  in  many  instances,  the  ex- 
ercise of  profound  reasoning,  and  of  accurate  investigation, 
and  that  the  mind  should  be  free  from  the  influence  of 
prejudice  and  of  every  improper  bias,  and  that  the  facts, 
when  ascertained,  be  fairlj^  represented,  and  accurate- 
ly recorded  ;  otherwise,  nothing  but  a  distorted  view  of 
the  divine  character  will  be  exhibited  to  the  mind.  For 
example,  if  the  earth  be  represented  as  among  the  larg- 
est bodies  in  nature,  and  as  placed  at  rest  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  universe,  and  that  the  sun,  moon,  and  ail 
the  other  celestial  orbs  revolve  around  it  every  day  ;  and 
consequently,  that  the  planetary  bodies  move  in  orbits 
v-'hich  display  inextricable  confusion — such  a  representa* 


IMPORTANCE    OF    TRCTH.  259 

tion  is  not  a  true  exhibition  of  the  God  of  heaven,  but  u 
phantom  of  our  own  imaginations  ;  and,  if  carried  out  to 
all  its  legitimate  consequences,  would  involve  an  impeach- 
ment of  the  wisdom  and  intelligence  of  the  Deity,  and  of 
the  sublime  simplicity  and  order,  which  characterize  his 
operations  in  the  universe.  If  the  planet  Saturn  be  rep- 
resented as  a  globe  900  times  larger  than  the  earth,  and 
surrounded  with  a  ring  600,000  miles  in  circumference, 
it  conveys  a  very  dilTerent  idea  of  the  majesty  of  the  di- 
vine Being  who  formed  it,  from  what  we  are  led  to  enter- 
tain, when  we  consider  it  as  only  a  taper,  or  a  brilliant 
stud,  fixed  in  the  vault  of  heaven.  If  the  eye  of  a  fly 
be  exhibited  as  containing  ten  thousand  polished  transpa- 
rent globes,  nicely  adjusted  for  the  purpose  of  vision,  it 
displays  the  character  of  its  Maker  in  a  different  lio-kt 
from  that  in  which  we  might  be  disposed  to  view  it, 
when  this  animal  is  represented  as  a  nuisance  in  creation, 
and  designed  only  to  be  mangled  and  tortured  by  a  cruel 
and  unthinking  school-boy. 

In  some  instances  the  inaccurate  statement  of  a  physi- 
cal fact,  or  the  false  colouring  put  upon  it,  may  have  a  ten- 
dency to  endanger  the  eternal  interests  of  mankind.  jHIr. 
Brydone,  in  his  "  Tour  through  Sicily,"  states,  on  the 
authority  of  a  priest,  named  Recupero,  that,  in  sinkino- 
a  pit  near  Jaci,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Mount  Etna, 
*'  they  pierced  through  seven  distinct  lavas,  one  under 
the  other,  the  surfaces  of  which  were  parallel,  and  most 
of  them  covered  with  a  bed  of  thick  earth."  From 
suppositions  founded  on  questionable  data,  he  concluded, 
that  "  it  requires  2000  years  or  upward  to  form  but  a 
scanty  soil  on  the  surface  of  a  lava,"  and,  consequently, 
that  "  the  eruption  which  formed  the  lowest  of  these 
lavas,  must  have  flowed  from  the  mountain,  at  least 
14,000  years  ago."  This  pretended  fact  was,  for  a  while, 
triumphantly  exhibited  by  sceptics,  as  an  unanswerable 
argument  against  the  truth  of  the  Mosaic  history  ;  and 
its  publication  has,  no  doubt,  tended  to  stagfger  weak 
minds,  and  to  confirm  the  infidel  in  his  prejudices  against 
the  truth  of  Revelation.  But  it  has  been  shown  by  emi- 
nent geologists,  that  the  facts  alluded  to  are  grossly  misstat- 
ed, and  that  no  vegetable  mould  exists  between  these 
beds   of  lava ;  and,  consequently,   the   argument  founded 


260  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF  RELIGION. 

upon  them  goes  for  nothing.  Mr.  Brydone  himself,  in 
the  very  same  volume  in  which  these  pretended  facts  are 
stated,  before  he  had  advanced  twenty  pages  farther  in 
his  account  of  the  regions  about  Mount  Etna,  states  a 
fact  which  completely  overturns  all  his  preceding  rea- 
sonings and  calculations.  In  describing  the  country  near 
Ilybla,  as  having  been  "  overwhelmed  by  the  lava  of  Et- 
na, and  having  then  become  totally  barren,"  he  adds, 
"  in  a  second  eruption,  by  a  shower  of  ashes  from  the 
mountain,  it  soon  rcassumedits  ancient  beauty  andfcrlility.'''' 
Ho  that  it  is  here  admitted,  that,  instead  of  requiring 
a  period  of  2000  years,  a  bed  of  lava  may  speedily  be 
transformed  into  a  beautiful  and  fertile  region.  But  even 
although  such  facts  were  fairly  represented, — yea,  although 
Mr.  Brydone  and  the  Canon  Recupero  could  have  proved, 
to  a  demonstration,  that  the  strata  of  the  earth  is  not  only 
fourteen  thousand,  but  fourteen  hundred  thousand  years 
old,  it  would  not  in  the  least  invalidate  a  single  assertion 
contained  in  the  Mosaic  history  ;  for  Moses  describes  only 
the  arrangement  of  the  earth  into  its  present  form,  but  no 
v/here  asserts,  that  the  materials  of  which  our  globe  is 
composed  were  created,  or  brought  out  of  nothing,  at  the 
period  at  which  his  history  commences.  The  circum- 
stance, however,  to  which  I  have  now  adverted,  shows  us 
of  how  much  importance  it  is,  in  many  cases,  that  even  a 
physical  fact  be  foirly  stated,  as  well  as  the  moral  facts 
and  the  doctrines  contained  in  the  Scriptures.  For,  since 
every  fact  in  the  economy  of  nature,  and  in  the  history 
of  providence,  exhibits  a  certain  portion  of  tlie  divine  cha- 
racter, a  very  different  view  of  this  character  will  be  ex- 
hibited, according  to  the  difierent  lights  in  which  we  view 
the  divine  operations.  And  therefore,  every  one  who 
wilfully  misrepresents  a  physical  fact  or  law  of  nature,  is  a 
deceiver,  who  endeavours  to  exhibit  a  distorted  view  of  the 
(^liaractcr  of  the  Deity.  It  is  nothing  loss  than  a  man 
"  bearing  false  witness"  against  his  Maker. 

Again,  veracity  is  of  infinite  importance  in  reference 
to  our  future  improvement  in  the  eternal  world.  In 
that  world,  we  have  every  reason  to  believe  our  know- 
ledge of  tlie  attributes  of  God  will  be  enlarged,  and  our 
views  of  the  range  of  his  operations  in  creation  and  pro- 
vidence extended  far  beyond  the  limits  to   which   they  are 


IMPORTANCE    OF    TRUTH.  261 

now  confined.  But  the  Divine  Being  himself,  from  the 
immateriality  and  immensity  of  his  nature,  will  remain  for 
ever  invisible  to  all  finite  intelligences  ;  and  hence  he  is 
described  by  the  Apostle,  as  "  the  King  Eternal,  Immor- 
tal, and  Invisible,  whom  no  man  hath  seen  or  can  see." 
It  is,  therefore,  not  only  probable,  but  absolutely  certain, 
that  a  great  portion,  perhaps  the  greatest  portion  of  our 
knowledge  in  that  state,  will  be  derived  from  the  commu- 
nications of  other  intelligences.  With  intellectual  beings 
of  a  higher  order  we  shall  hold  the  most  intimate 
converse  ;  for  we  are  informed,  that  "  just  men  made 
perfect"  will  join  "  the  innumerable  company  of  angels." 
These  beings  are  endued  with  capacious  powers  of  intel- 
lect, and  have  long  been  exercising  them  on  the  most  ex- 
alted objects.  As  messengers  from  the  King  of  heaven  to  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth,  they  have  frequently  winged  their 
way  through  the  celestial  regions,  and  surveyed  many 
of  those  glorious  systems  which  lie  hid  from  the  view 
of  mortals.  We  have  every  reason  to  believe,  that  they 
have  acquired  expansive  views  of  the  dispensations 
of  the  Almighty,  not  only  in  relation  to  man,  but  in  rela- 
tion to  numerous  worlds  and  intelligences  in  diflTerent  prov- 
inces of  the  empire  of  God.  And,  therefore,  they  must 
be  admirably  qualified  to  impart  ample  stores  of  informa- 
tion on  the  sublimest  subjects,  to  the  redeemed  inhabi- 
tants from  our  world.  From  the  communications  of  these 
intelligences  we  may  derive  information  of  the  order  and 
arrangements  of  other  systems  ;  of  the  natural  scenery  of 
other  worlds  ;  of  the  different  orders  of  intellectual  beings 
who  people  them  ;  of  the  means  by  which  they  are  car- 
ried forward  in  moral  and  intellectual  improvement  ; 
of  the  most  remarkable  events  which  have  happened  in 
the  course  of  their  history  ;  of  the  peculiar  displays  of 
divine  glory  that  may  be  made  to  them,  and  of  the  vari- 
ous changes  through  which  they  may  have  passed  in  the 
course  of  the  divine  dispensations. 

But  the  utility  of  all  such  sublime  communications,  and 
the  delightful  transports  with  which  they  will  be  accom- 
panied, will  entirely  depend  upon  the  immutable  veracity 
of  these  moral  intelligences  who  shall  be  employed  in 
conveying  information  respecting  the  divine  plans  and  op- 
erations. No  fictitious  scenes  and  narrations  will  be  iaven.* 
23* 


262  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   RELIGION. 

ted,  as  in  our  degenerate  world,  to  astonish  a  gaping  crowd  ; 
nothing  but  unvarnished  truth  will  be  displayed  in  that 
world  of  light  ;  and  the  real  scenes  which  will  be  display- 
ed, will  infinitely  transcend,  in  beauty,  in  grandeur,  and 
in  interest,  all  that  the  most  fertile  imagination  can  con- 
ceive. Were  a  single  falsehood  to  be  told  in  heaven,  were 
the  tongue  of  an  archangel  to  misrepresent  a  single  fact  in 
the  divine  economy,  or  were  the  least  suspicion  to  exist 
that  truth  might  be  violated  in  such  communications, 
the  mutual  confidence  of  celestial  intelligences  would  in- 
stantly be  shaken  ;  and,  from  that  moment,  their  inter- 
course and  their  happiness  would  be  destroyed.  Hence, 
we  are  repeatedly  told,  in  the  book  of  Revelation,  that, 
"  Whosoever  loveth,  or  maketh  a  lie,  shall  in  nowise  en- 
ter within  the  gates  of  the  new  Jerusalem."  And,  there- 
fore, every  one  who  expects  to  be  an  inhabitant  of  that  hap- 
py world,  ought  now  to  cultivate  a  strict  regard  to  truth 
and  veracity  in  all  his  researches,  intercourses  and  com- 
munications ;  otherwise  he  cannot  be  admitted,  from  the 
very  constitution  of  things,  to  the  society  of  saints  and  an- 
gels in  the  realms  of  bliss. 

Thus  it  appears,  that  truth  is  of  the  utmost  importance 
to  all  rational  beings,  as  it  forms  the  source  of  our  know- 
ledge, the  foundation  of  all  social  intercourse,  the  ground 
of  our  present  comfort  and  future  prospects,  the  basis  of 
all  the  views  we  can  take  of  the  Divine  character  and  op- 
erations, and  of  all  our  prospects  of  future  improvement 
in  the  eternal  world.  It  is  the  bond  of  union  among  all 
the  inhabitants  of  heaven  ;  it  is  the  chain  which  connects 
the  whole  moral  universe  ;  and  it  constitutes  the  immuta- 
ble basis  on  which  rests  the  throne  of  the  Eternal. 

in  the  depraved  society  of  our  woild,  truth  is  violated 
in  ten  thousand  different  ways.  It  is  violated  in  thoughts, 
in  words,  in  conversation,  in  oral  discourses,  in  writings, 
in  printed  books,  by  gestures  and  by  signs,  by  speaking 
and  by  remaining  silent.  It  is  violated  in  reference  to 
the  character  of  our  neighbour^  when  we  invent  tales  of 
falsehood  respecting  him  ;  when  we  listen  with  plea- 
sure to  such  talcs  when  told  by  others ;  when  we  sit  mute, 
and  refuse  to  vindicate  his  character  when  it  is  unjustly 
aspersed  ;  when  we  endeavour  to  aggravate  the  circum- 
stances which  may  have  accompanied  any  criminal  action  ; 


VIOLATIONS    OF    TRUTH.  263 

when  we  make  no  allowances  for  the  force  of  temptation, 
and  the  peculiar  circumstances  in  which  the  criminal  may- 
have  been  placed ;  when  we  fix  upon  an  insulated  act  of 
vice  or  folly,  and  apply  it  to  our  neighbour  as  a  general 
character ;  when  we  rake  up,  with  a  malevolent  design, 
an  action  which  he  has  long  since  reprobated  and  repent- 
ed of ;  when  his  character  is  made  the  subject  of  jest  or 
merriment,  and  when,  by  smiles,  and  noddings,  and  ges- 
tures, we  insinuate  any  thing  injurious  to  his  reputation. — 
It  is  violated  in  promises — when  we  promise,  either  what 
we  have  no  intention  of  performing,  or  what  we  had  no 
right  to  promise,  or  what  is  out  of  our  power  to  perform, 
or  what  would  be  unlawful  for  us  to  execute.  It  is  vio- 
lated in  threatenings^  when  we  neglect  to  put  them  in  exe- 
cution, or  when  we  threaten  to  inilict  what  would  be  either 
cruel  or  unjust.  It  is  violated  in  history^  when  the  princi- 
pal facts  are  blended  with  doubtful  or  fictitious  circumstan- 
ces ;  when  the  conduct  of  liars  and  intriguers,  of  public 
robbers  and  murderers,  is  varnished  over  with  the  false 
glare  of  heroism  and  of  glory  ;  and  when  the  actions  of 
upright  men  are,  without  sufficient  evidence,  attributed  to 
knavery,  or  to  the  influence  of  fanaticism  ;  when  the  writer 
construes  actions  and  events,  and  attributes  to  the  actors 
motives  and  designs,  in  accordance  with  his  own  prejudices 
and  passions,  and  interweaves  his  opinions  and  deductions, 
as  if  they  were  a  portion  of  the  authenticated  records  of 
historical  fact. — It  is  violated  in  the  invention  of  fictitious 
narratives,  and  in  the  relation  of  marvellous  stories,  when 
the  system  of  nature  is  distorted,  historical  facts  caricatur- 
ed, misrepresented,  and  blended  with  the  vagaries  of  a  ro- 
mantic imagination ;  when  scenes,  events,  and  circum- 
stances, "  which  never  did  nor  can  take  place,"  are  pre- 
sented to  the  view,  merely  to  convey  a  transient  gratifica- 
tion to  trifling  and  indolent  minds. 

It  is  violated  by  men  of  science  when  they  give  an  inac  - 
curate  statement  of  the  results  of  their  observations  and 
experiments  ;  when,  either  through  carelessness  or  design, 
they  give  an  unfair  representation  of  the  facts  and  princi- 
ples in  nature,  in  order  to  support  a  favourite  system  or 
hypothesis  ;  and  when  they  studiously  keep  out  of  view 
the  various  circumstances  in  which  every  fact  should  be 
contemplated. — It  is  violated  in  the  literary  worlds  when 


264  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

the  editor  of  a  magazine  or  a  review  writes  an  article,  and 
addresses  it  to  himself,  as  if  it  came  from  the  pen  of  ano- 
ther ;  when,  for  the  sake  of  "  fihhy  lucre,"  or  to  gratify 
a  friend,  he  bestows  encomiums  on  a  work  which  is  unwor- 
thy of  the  attention  of  the  public  ;  or  when,  to  gratify  a 
mean,  or  revengeful  passion,  he  misrepresents  or  abuses 
the  literary  productions  of  his  opponents  ;  or  when  an  au- 
thor writes  a  review  of  his  own  work,  and  imposes  it  on 
the  public,  as  if  it  were  the  decision  of  an  impartial  critic. 
— It  is  violated  by  controversialists,  when  they  bring  for- 
ward arguments  in  support  of  any  position  which  they  are 
conscious  are  either  weak  or  unsound  ;  when  they  appear 
more  anxious  to  display  their  skill  and  dexterity,  and  to 
obtain  a  victory  over  their  adversaries,  than  to  vindicate 
the  cause  of  truth  ;  when  sneers,  and  sarcasms,  and  per- 
sonal reproaches,  are  substituted  in  the  room  of  substan- 
tial arguments  ;  when  they  misrepresent  the  sentiments  of 
their  opponents,  by  stating  them  in  terms  which  materially 
alter  their  meaning  ;  and  when  they  palm  upon  them  doc- 
trines and  opinions  which  they  entirely  disavow. 

It  is  violated  in  commercial  transactions,  when  deteriorat- 
ed goods  are  varnished  over  with  a  fair  outside,  and  puff- 
ed off  as  if  they  were  saleable  and  sound  ;  when  a  mer- 
chant asks  more  than  he  is  willing  to  take  for  any  com- 
modity ;  when  he  deprecates  the  commodities  of  his 
neighbour  ;  when  he  undervalues  whatever  he  is  purchas- 
ing, and  makes  an  overcharge  for  the  articles  of  which  he 
is  disposing ;  when  he  denies  the  goods  he  has  in  his  posses- 
sion, when  there  is  the  prospect  of  an  advancing  price, — and 
in  a  thousand  other  ways,  best  known  to  the  nefarious  tra- 
der.— It  is  violated  by  persons  in  every  department  of  life, 
not  only  when  they  utter  what  they  know  to  be  false,  but 
when  they  profess  to  declare  the  whole  truth,  and  keep 
back  part  of  it  with  an  intention  to  deceive  ;  when  they 
make  use  of  a  proposition  that  is  literally  true,  in  order  to 
convey  a  falsehood,*    when   they   flatter  the    vanity  of 


*  The  following  fact  will  illustrate  this  and  similar  pieces  of 
falsehood  : — A  person,  when  selling  a  watch,  was  apked  by  the  pur- 
chaser, if  it  kept  time  correctly?  He  was  told  by  the  owner,  that 
neither  the  hour  nor  the  minute  hand  had  re«iuircd  to  be  altered  for 
more  than  a  twelve-month.      This  was  literally  true  j  but  the  watch 


VIOLATIONS    OP    TRtTH.  265 

weak  minds  ;  when  they  ascribe  to  their  friends  or  to 
others  good  quaUties  which  do  not  belong  to  them,  or  re- 
fuse to  acknowledge  those  accomplishments  of  which  they 
are  possessed ;  when  they  endeavour  to  cajole  children 
into  obedience,  by  promising  what  they  never  intend  to 
perform,  and  threatening  what  they  never  intend  to  inflict  ; 
and  when  they  indulge  in  a  habit  of  exaggeration,  in  the 
account  they  give  of  their  adventures,  and  of  the  things 
which  they  have  seen  or  heard. 

Truth  is  violated  by  signs,  as  well  as  by  words, — as, 
when  we  point  with  our  finger  in  a  wrong  direction,  when 
a  traveller  is  enquiring  about  the  road  he  should  take  ; 
when  a  British  ship  hoists  Spanish  colours  ;  when  flags 
of  truce  are  violated  ;  when  spies  insinuate  themselves 
into  society  as  upright  men,  for  the  purpose  of  entrapping 
the  unwary  ;  when  false  intelligence  is  communicated  to 
an  enemy  ;  when  fires  are  lighted,  or  put  out,  in  order  to 
deceive  mariners  at  sea  ;  and  when  signals  of  distress  are 
counterfeited  by  ships  at  sea,  for  the  purpose  of  decoying 
into  their  power  the  ships  of  an  enemy. 

Truth  is  violated  in  relation  to  God,  when  we  conceal 
from  those  whom  we  are  bound  to  instruct,  the  grandeur 
and  immensity  of  his  works,  and  the  displays  of  divine  in- 
telligence and  skill  which  are  exhibited  in  his  visible  ope- 
rations ;  when  we  exhibit  a  diminutive  view  of  the  extent 
and  glory  of  his  kingdom  ;  when  we  give  an  inaccurate 
and  distorted  representation  of  the  laws  of  nature,  and  of 
the  order  and  the  economy  of  the  universe  ;  when  we 
misrepresent  the  facts  which  exist  in  the  system  of  nature, 
and  which  occur  in  the  truth  of  providence  ;  when  we 
call  in  question  the  history  of  that  revelation  which  he  has 
confirmed  by  signs  and  miracles,  and  by  the  accomplish- 
ment of  numerous  predictions  ;  when  we  misrepresent  its 
facts,  its  doctrines,  and  its    moral   requisitions  ;    when  we 


was,  nevertheless,  a  very  bad  renjulator  of  time.  When  hunji  in  a 
perpendicular  position,  it  went  too  slow,  and,  when  laid  in  a  hori- 
zontal position,  it  went  too  fast ;  but  by  alternately  shifting  these 
positions,  and  thus  modifyinij  the  rates  of  motion,  the  hands  did  not 
require  to  be  altered.  Such  assertions,  however,  are  to  be  consi- 
dered as  direct  lies,  when  they  are  intended  to  convey  a  false  or  er- 
roneous conseptioa,  as  in  the  instance  now  stated. 


266  THK    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

transform  its  historical  narrations  into  a  series  of  parables 
and  allegories ;  when  we  distort  its  lilenil  meaning  by 
vague  and  injudicious  spirilualizing  comments  ;  when  we 
fix  our  attention  solely  on  its  doctrine,  and  neglect  to  in- 
vestigate its  moral  precepts  ;  and  when  we  confine  our 
views  to  a  few  points  in  the  system  of  revelation,  and  neg- 
lect to  contemplate  its  whole  range,  in  all  its  aspects  and 
bearings. 

In  the  above,  and  in  ten  thousand  other  modes,  is  the 
law  of  truth  violated  by  the  degenerate  inhabitants  of  our 
world.  The  mischiefs  and  the  miseries  which  have  fol- 
lowed its  violation,  in  reference  to  the  affairs  of  nations, 
to  the  private  interests  of  societies,  families,  and  individu- 
als, and  to  the  everlasting  concerns  of  mankind,  are  in- 
calculable, and  dreadful  beyond  description.  It  is  one  of 
the  principal  sources  from  which  have  sprung  the  numer- 
ous abominations  and  cruelties  connected  with  the  system 
of  Pagan  idolatry,  the  delusions  and  the  persecuting  spi- 
rit of  the  votaries  of  Mahomet,  and  the  pretended  mira- 
cles, and  "  the  lying  wonders,"  of  that  church  which  is 
denominated  "the  mother  of  harlots  and  abominations  of 
the  earth."  It  has  been  chiefly  owing  to  the  violation  of 
this  law,  that  the  thrones  of  tyrants  have  been  supported, 
that  liberty  has  been  destroyed,  that  public  safety  and  hap- 
piness have  been  endangered,  that  empires  have  been 
overturned,  that  nations  have  been  dashed  one  against 
another,  and  that  war  has  produced  among  the  human 
race  so  many  overwhelming  desolations.  By  the  perni- 
cious inilucnce  of  falsehood,  the  peace  of  families  has  been 
invaded,  their  comforts  blasted,  their  good  name  dishon- 
oured, their  wealth  destroyed,  their  hopes  disappointed, 
and  their  bright  prospects  of  happiness  involved  in  a  cloud 
of  darkness  and  despair.  By  the  sophistry  of  unprinci- 
pled men,  literature  and  science  have  been  perverted,  and 
the  avenues  to  substantial  knowledge  rendered  difficult 
and  dangerous ;  litigations  have  been  multiplied  without 
number;  human  beings  have  been  agitated,  perplexed, 
and  bewildered  ;  and  the  widow  and  the  fatherless  op- 
pressed and  robbed  of  their  dearest  enjoyments.  Could 
we  search  the  private  records  of  ancient  kiugs,  princes 
and  legislators,  and  trace  the  deceitful  plans  which  have 
been  laid  in  palaces  and  cabinets — or  could   we,   at  this 


EFFECTS    OF    UNIVERSAL    FALSEHOOD.  267 

moment,  penetrate  into  all  the  intrigues,  deceptions,  treach- 
eries, plots,  and  machinations,  which  are  going  forward 
in  the  cabinets  of  despots,  the  mansions  of  princes,  and 
the  courts  of  law,  throughout  Europe,  Africa,  and  Asia  ; 
such  a  host  of  falsehoods  and  "  lying  abominations,"  like 
an  army  of  spectres  from  the  infernal  regions,  would 
stare  us  in  the  face,  as  would  make  us  shrink  back  with 
horror  and  amazement,  and  fill  us  with  astonishment  that 
the  patience  of  the  God  of  heaven  has  been  so  long  ex- 
ercised towards  the  inhabitants  of  such  a  depraved  and 
polluted  world. 

Let  us  now  consider,  for  a  little,  some  of  the  effects 
which  would  inevitably  follow  were  the  law  of  truth  wmuer- 
sally  violated.  In  this  case  a  scene  of  horror  and  confu- 
sion would  ensue,  of  which  it  is  difHcult  for  the  mind  to 
form  any  distinct  conception.  It  is  obvious,  in  the  first 
place,  that  rational  beings  could  never  improve  in  knowl- 
edge, beyond  the  range  of  the  sensitive  objects  that  happen- 
ed to  be  placed  within  the  sphere  of  their  personal  obser- 
vation. For,  by  far  the  greater  part  of  our  knowledge  is 
derived  from  tlie  communications  of  others,  and  from  the 
stimulus  to  intellectual  exertion  which  such  communica- 
tions produce. — Let  us  suppose  a  human  being  trained  up, 
from  infancy,  in  a  wilderness,  by  a  bear  or  a  wolf,  as  his- 
tory records  to  have  been  the  case  of  several  individuals 
in  the  forests  of  France,  Germany,  and  Lithuania, — what 
knowledge  could  such  a  being  acquire  beyond  that  of  a 
brute  ?  He  might  distinguish  a  horse  from  a  cow,  and 
a  man  from  a  dog,  and  know  that  such  objects  as  trees, 
shrubs,  grass,  flowers,  and  water,  existed  around  him ; 
but  knowledge,  strictly  so  called,  and  the  proper  exercise 
of  his  rational  faculties,  he  could  not  acquire,  so  long  as 
he  remained  detached  from  other  rational  beings.  Such 
would  be  our  situation,  were  falsehood  universal  among 
men.  We  could  acquire  a  knowledge  of  nothing  but  what 
was  obvious  to  our  senses  in  the  objects  with  which  we 
were  surrounded.  Wc  could  not  know  whether  the  earth 
were  twenty  miles,  or  twenty  thousand  miles  in  extent,  and 
whether  oceans,  seas,  rivers,  and  ranges  of  mountains,  ex- 
isted on  its  surface,  unless  we  had  made  the  tour  of  it  in 
person,  and,  with  our  own  eyes,  surveyed  the  various  objects 
it  contains.     Of  course,  we  should  remain  in  absolute  igno- 


268  TIIE    PHILOSOPHY    OF     RELIGION. 

ranee  of  the  existence  and  the  attributes  of  God,  of  the  mo- 
ral relations  of  intelligent  beings  to  their  Creator,  and  to 
one  another,  and  of  the  realities  of  a  future  state.  For  it 
is  only,  or  chiefly,  through  the  medium  of  testimony^  com- 
bined with  the  evidence  of  our  senses,  that  we  acquire  a 
knowledge  of  such  truths  and  objects. 

In  the  next  place,  all  confidence  among  intelligent  beings 
would  be  completely  destroyed.  Disappointment  would 
invariably  attend  every  purpose  and  resolution,  and  every 
scheme  we  wished  to  execute,  if  it  depended  in  the  least 
degree  upon  the  direction  or  assistance  of  others.  We 
durst  not  taste  an  article  of  food  which  we  received  from 
another,  lest  it  should  contain  poison  ;  nor  could  we  ever 
construct  a  house  to  shelter  us  from  the  storm,  unless  our 
own  physical  powers  were  adequate  to  the  work.  AVere 
we  living  in  Edinburgh,  we  could  never  go  to  Musselburgh 
or  Dalkeith,  if  we  were  previously  ignorant  of  the  sit- 
uation of  these  places  ;  or  were  we  residing  in  London, 
it  would  be  impossible  for  us  ever  to  find  our  way  to  Hom- 
merton  or  Hampstead,  unless,  after  a  thousand  attempts, 
chance  should  happen  to  direct  us ;  and,  when  we  arrived 
at  either  of  these  villages,  we  should  still  be  in  as  much 
uncertainty  as  ever  whether  it  was  the  place  to  which  we 
intended  to  direct  our  steps.  Confidence  being  destroy-' 
ed,  there  could  be  no  friendship,  no  union  of  hearts,  no 
dfl'ectionate  intercourse,  no  social  converse,  no  con- 
solation or  comfort  in  the  hour  of  distress,  no  hopes  of 
deliverance  in  the  midst  of  danger,  and  no  prospect  of 
the  least  enjoyment  from  any  being  around  us.  In 
such  a  case,  the  mind  would  feel  itself  as  in  a  wilderness, 
even  when  surrounded  by  fellow-intelligences,  and  wher- 
ever it  roamed  over  the  vast  expanse  of  nature,  or  among 
the  mass  of  living  beings  around  it,  it  would  meet  with  no 
alfectionate  interchange  of  feelings  and  sentiments,  and 
no  object  on  which  it  could  rest  for  solace  and  enjoyment. 
Every  one  would  feel  as  if  he  were  placed  in  the  midst  of 
an  infinite  void,  and  as  if  he  were  the  only  being  residing 
in  the  universe.  In  such  a  case  we  would  flee  iVom  the 
society  of  men  as  we  would  do  from  a  lion  or  a  tiger  when 
rushing  on  his  prey  ;  and  hide  ourselves  in  dens,  and  for- 
ests, and  caverns  of  the  earth,  till  death  should  put  a  period 
to  a  cheerless  and  miserable  existence, 


EFFECTS    OF    UNIVERSAL    FALSEHOOD.  269 

All  social  intercourses  and  relations  would  cease ; — 
families  could  not  possibly  exist  ;  nor  any  affectionate  in- 
tercourse between  the  sexes;  for  truth,  and  the  confi- 
dence which  is  founded  upon  it,  are  implied  in  all  the  in- 
tercourses of  husbands  and  wives,  of  brothers  and  sixers, 
and  of  parents  and  children  ; — and  consequently,  the  hu- 
man race,  dropping  into  the  grave,  one  after  another,  like 
the  leaves  of  autumn,  without  any  successors,  would,,  in  a 
short  time,  be  extirpated  from  the  earth.  In  such  a  state, 
kindness  and  affection  would  never  be  exercised  ;  trade 
and  commerce,  buying  and  selling,  social  compacts  and 
agreements  would  be  annihilated ;  science,  literature  and 
the  arts,  could  not  exist  ;  and  consequently,  universities, 
colleges,  churches,  academies,  schools,  and  every  other 
seminary  of  instruction  would  be  unknown.  No  villages, 
towns,  nor  cities  would  be  built  ;  no  fields  cultivated  ;  no 
orchards,  vineyards  nor  gardens  planted  ;  no  intercourse 
would  exist  between  different  regions  of  the  globe ;  and 
nothing  but  one  dreary  barren  waste  would  be  presented 
to  the  eye,  throughout  the  whole  expanse  of  nature.  So 
that  were  truth  completely  banished  from  the  earth,  it 
would  present  a  picture  of  that  dark  and  dismal  region 
where  "  all  liars  have  theiir  portion  !"  where  all  are  deceiv- 
ers and  deceived,  and  where  the  hopeless  mind  roams 
amidst  innumerable  false  intelligences,  for  one  ray  of  com- 
fort, or  one  confidential  spirit  in  which  it  may  confide,  but 
roams  in  vain. 

In  short,  were  truth  banished  not  only  from  this  world, 
but  from  the  universe  at  large,  creation  would  be  trans- 
formed into  a  chaos  ;  the  bond  which  now  connects  an- 
gels and  archangels,  cherubim  and  seraphim  in  one  har- 
monious union,  would  be  forever  dissolved  ;  the  inhabi- 
tants of  all  worlds  would  be  thrown  into  a  state  of  uni- 
veiKaJl  anarchy  ;  they  would  shun  each  other's  society, 
ana  remain  as  so  many  cheerless  and  inflated  wretches, 
amidst  the  gloom  and  desolations  of  universal  nature  ;  all 
improvement  in  knowledge,  and  all  progressive  advances 
towards  moral  perfection,  would  be  forever  interrupted : 
and  happiness  would  be  banished  from  the  whole  intelli- 
gent system.  Every  mind  would  become  the  seat  of  ter- 
ror and  suspense,  and  would  be  haunted  with  frightful 
spectres  and  dreadful  expectations.  The  government  of 
23 


270  THE  PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

the  Eternal  would  be  subvcrletl,  Ihe  moral  order  of  the 
intelligent  system  overturned  ;  all  subordination  would 
cease,  and  misery  would  reign  uncontrolled  throughout 
every  region  of  intellectual  existence.  For  truth  is  im- 
plied in  the  principle  of  love  ;  it  is  essential  to  its  exis- 
tence ;  so  that  the  one  cannot  operate  except  on  the  ba- 
sis of  the  other:  and  we  have  already  shown,  that  the  de- 
struction of  love  would  be  the  destruction  of  all  order,  and 
of  all  happiness  among  intelligent  beings. 

Such  are  some  of  the  dreadful  effects  which  would  in- 
evitably follow,  were  the  law  under  consideration  revers- 
ed or  universally  violated.  In  our  world  this  law  has, 
hitherto,  been  only  partialhj  violated  ;  yet  what  dreadful 
mischiefs,  beyond  calculation,  and  even  beyond  concep- 
tion, has  its  frequent  violation  created  !  Ever  since  that 
moment  when  "  the  father  of  lies"  deceived  the  first  hu- 
man pair,  hov/  many  thousands  of  millions  of  liars  have 
trodden  in  his  footsteps  !  and  what  a  host  of  falsehoods 
has  followed  in  their  train,  which  have  destroyed  the 
harmony  of  the  moral  system,  and  robbed  the  world  of 
happiness  and  repose  !  Yet  how  little  are  we  affected  by 
the  frequent  violations  of  this  law  ?  and  how  seldom  do 
we  reflect,  that  every  falselijood  we  unadvisedly  utter,  is 
an  infringement  of  that  law  on  which  rest  the  throne  of 
the  Almighty  and  the  eternal  happiness  of  the  universe  ? 
For  if  one  lie  may  be  palliated  or  vindicated,  on  the  same 
principle  we  might  vindicate  a  thousand,  and  a  millioa, 
and  millions  of  millions,  till  falsehood  became  universal 
among  all  ranks  of  beings,  and  till  the  moral  order  of  the 
intelligent  creation  was  completely  subverted.  Of  how 
much  importance  is  it  then,  that  an  inviolable  attachment 
tt)**i-uth,  in  it  its  minutest  ramifications,  be  early  impressed 
.upon  the  minds  of  the  young,  by  persuasion,  by  precept, 
by  example,  by  reasoning,  and  by  a  vivid  representation 
of  its  importance,  and  of  its  inestimable  benefits  ?  and  how 
careful  should  we  be  to  preserve  them  from  all  incenfive^ 
tt)  the  practice  of  lying,  and  especially  from  the  company  of 
rfiose  "  whose  mouth  ^peaketh  vanity,  and  their  right  hand 
i«  aright  hand  of  fidsehood." 

Were  falsehood  universally  detested,  and  the  love  of 
truth  universally  cherished  ;  were  a  single  lie  never  more 
*o  be  uttered  by  any  inhabitant  of  this  globe,  what  a  njigh- 


EFFECTS  OF  UNIVERSAL  VERACITY.        271 

ty  change  would  be  effected  in  the  condition  of  mankind, 
and  what  a  glorious  radiance  would  be  difiused  over  all 
the  movements  of  the  intelligent  system  ?  The  whole 
host  of  liars,  perjurers,  sharpers,  seducers,  slanderers, 
tale-bearers,  quacks,  thieves,  swindlers,  harpies,  fraudu- 
lent dealers,  false  friends,  flatterers,  corrupt  judges,  des- 
pots, sophists,  hypocrites  and  religious  impostors,  with  the 
countless  multitude  of  frauds,  treacheries,  impositions, 
falsehoods,  and  distresses  which  have  followed  in  their 
train,  would  instantly  disappear  from  among  men.  The 
beams  of  truth,  penetrating  through  the  mists  of  igno- 
rance, error,  and  perplexity,  produced  by  sophists,  scep- 
tics, and  deceivers,  which  have  so'  long  enveloped  the 
human  mind,  would  diffuse  a  lustre  and  a  cheerfulness  on 
the  face  of  the  moral  world,  like  the  mild  radiance  of  t/he 
morning  after  a  dark  and  tempestuous  night.  Confidence 
would  be  restored  throughout  every  department  of  social 
life  ;  jealousy,  suspicion,  and  distrust,  would  no  longer 
rankle  in  the  human  breast ;  and  unfeigned  affection,  fi- 
delity, and  friendship,  would  unite  the  whole  brotherhood 
of  mankind.  With  what  a  beautiful  simplicity,  and  with 
what  smoothness  and  harmony  would  the  world  of  trade 
move  onward  in  all  its  transactions  !  How  many  cares  and 
anxieties  would  vanish !  how  many  perplexities  Would 
cease  I  and  how  many  ruinous  litigations  would  be  preven- 
ted ?  For  the  violation  of  truth  may  be  considered  as  the 
chief  cause  of  all  those  disputes  respecting  property,  which 
have  plunged  so  many  families  into  suspense  and  wretched- 
ness. The  tribunals  of  justice  would  be  purified  from  every 
species  of  sophistry  and  deceit ;  and  the  promises  of  kings, 
and  the  leagues  of  nations,  would  be  held  sacred  and  invi- 
olate. Science  would  rapidly  advance  towards  perfection  ; 
for,  as  all  its  principles  and  doctrines  are  founded  upon  facts, 
when  truth  is  universally  held  inviolable,  the  facts  on 
which  it  is  built  will  always  be  fairly  represented.  Ev- 
ery fact  asserted  by  voyagers  and  travellers,  in  relation  to 
the  physical  or  the  moral  world,  and  every  detail  of  exper- 
iments made  by  the  chemist  and  the  philosopher,  would 
forma  sure  ground-work  for  thedeveloperaent  of  truth,  and 
the  detection  of  error ;  without  the  least  suspicion  aris- 
ing in  the  mind  respecting  the  veracity  of  the  persons  on 
whose  testimony  we  rely.  For  want  of  this  confidence  the 


272  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

mind  has  been  perplexed  and  distracted  by  the  jarring 
statements  of  travellers,  naturalists,  and  historians  ;  false 
theories  have  been  framed  ;  systems  have  been  reared  on 
the  baseless  fabric  of  a  vision  ;  the  foundations  of  science 
liave  been  shaken ;  its  utility  called  in  question,  and  its 
most  sublime  discoveries  overlooked  and  disregarded. 

In  fine,  the  clouds  which  novi^  obscure  many  of  the  sub- 
lime objects  of  religion,  and  the  realities  of  a  future 
world,  would  be  dispelled,  were  falsehood  unknown,  and 
truth  beheld  in  its  native  light ;  and  religion,  purified  from 
every  mixture  of  error  and  delusion,  would  appear  arrayed 
in  its  own  heavenly  radiance,  and  attract  the  love  and  the 
admiration  of  men.  When  exhibited  in  its  native  gran- 
deur and  simplicity,  all  doubts  respecting  its  divine  origin 
would  soon  evanish  from  the  mind — the  beauty  and  sub- 
limity of  its  doctrines  would  be  recognized  as  worthy  of 
its  Author  ;  and  all  its  moral  requisitions  would  be  perceiv- 
ed to  be  "  holy,  just,  and  good,"  and  calculated  to  pro- 
mote the  order,  and  the  everlasting  happiness  of  the  intel- 
ligent universe.  Divine  truth  irradiating  every  mind,  and 
accompanied  with  the  emanations  of  heavenly  love,  would 
dispel  the  gloom  which  now  hangs  over  many  sincere  and 
pious  minds  ;  would  unite  man  to  man.  and  man  to  God ; 
ana  tne  inliabitants  of  this  world,  freed  from  every  doubt, 
error,  and  perplexity,  would  move  forward  in  harmony 
and  peace,  to  join  "  the  innumerable  company  of  angels, 
and  the  general  assembly  of  the  spirits  of  just  men  made 
perfect,  whose  names  are  written  in  heaven." 

THE    TENTH    COMMANDMENT. 

"  Thou  shah  not  covet  thy  neighbour's  house,  thou  shalt 
not  covet  thy  neighbour's  wife,  nor  his  man-servant, 
nor  his  maid-servant,  nor  his  ox,  nor  his  ass,  nor  any- 
thing that  is  thy  neighbour's.''^ 

Every  precept  of  the  law  to  which  I  have  hitherto  ad- 
verted, has  a  reference  not  only  to  the  external  conduct 
of  moral  agents,  but  also  to  the  internal  motives  or 
principles  from  which  that  conduct  proceeds.  This  is 
evident  from  the  considerations  already  stated,  and 
from  the  whole  tenor  of  Divine  Revelation ; — and  it  is  in 


TENDENCY  OF  COVETOUSNESS.  273 

imison  with  refison,  and  with  the  common  sense  of  man- 
kind, that  the  merit  or  demerit  of  any  action  is  to  be  esti- 
mated, according  to  the  intention  of  the  actor,  and  the 
disposition  from  w4iich  it  flows.  That  no  doubt  may  re- 
main on  this  point,  the  Supreme  Legislator  closes  the 
decalogue  with  a  command,  which  has  a  reference  solely 
to  the  desires  and  dispositions  of  the  mind  :  "  Thou  shalt 
rtQt  covet."  Covetousness  consists  in  an  inordinate  desire 
of  earthly  objects  and  enjoyments.  This  desire,  when 
uniformly  indulged,  leads  to  a  breach  of  almost  every  6th- 
er  precept  of  the  Divine  law  ;  and  is  the  source  of  more 
than  one-half  of  all  the  evils  which  afflict  the  human  race. 
It  leads  to  a  breach  of  the  eighth  command,  by  exciting 
either  to  fraudulent  dealings,  or  to  direct  acts  of  theft  and 
robbery. — It  leads  to  a  breach  of  the  ninth  command,  by 
cherishing  the  principle  of  falsehood  whicli  is  implied  in 
every  fraudulent  transaction. — It  leads  to  a  violation  of 
the  sixth  command,  by  engendering  a  spirit  of  revenge 
against  those  who  stand  in  the  way  of  its  gratification  ; 
and  by  exciting  the  covetous  man  to  the  commission  of 
murder,  in  order  to  accomplish  his  avaricious  desires. — 
It  also  leads  to  a  violation  of  the  seventh  command  ;  for, 
when  one  "  covets  his  neighbour's  wife,"  the  next  step 
is,  to  endeavour  to  withdraw  her  affection  from  her  hus- 
band, and  to  plunge  a  family  into  misery  and  distress. — 
It  also  leads  to  a  violation  of  the  fifth  precept  of  the  law, 
not  only  as  it  steels  the  heart  against  those  kindly  filial 
a0'ections  which  children  ought  to  exercise  towards  their 
parents,  but  as  it  excites  them  to  withhold  from  their  pa- 
rents, when  in  old  age  and  distress,  those  external  com- 
forts which  are  requisite  to  their  happiness,  and  which  it 
is  the  duty  of  affectionate  children  to  provide.  And,  when 
covetousness  has  thus  led  to  the  breach  of  every  other 
precept  of  the  second  table  of  the  law,  it  follows,  that  all 
the  precepts  of  the  fiist  table  are  also  virtually  violated. 
For  a^  the  commandments  of  the  first  table  are  briefly 
summed  up  in  this  comprehensive  precept,  "  Thou  shalt 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart  :"  but  it  is  ob- 
viou^y  impossible,  nay,  it  would  be  a  contradiction  in 
terms,  to  suppose,  that  supreme  love  to  the  Creator  can 
reside  in  the  same  breast  in  which  an  inordinate  desire  of 
worldly  enjoyments  reiglis  uncontrolled,  and  in  which 
23* 


274  THE    PHILOSOPHV    OF    RELIGION. 

love  to  man  has  no  existence.  So  that  covetousness  may 
be  considered  as  the  great  barrier  which  separates  between 
man  and  his  Maker,  and  also  as  the  polluted  fountain  Irom 
whence  flow  all  the  moral  abominations  and  the  miseries 
of  mankind. 

The  more  obvious  and  direct  manifestation  of  this  prin- 
ciple is  generally  distinguished  by  the  name  of  Avarice^ 
or,  an  inordinate  desire  of  riches.  And  what  a  countless 
host  of  evils  has  flowed  from  this  unhallowed  passion, 
both  in  relation  to  individuals,  to  families,  to  nations, 
and  to  the  world  at  large  !  In  relation  to  the  avaricious 
man  himself,  could  we  trace  all  the  eager  desires,  anx- 
ieties, perplexities,  and  cares,  which  harass  his  soul  ; 
the  fraudulent  schemes  he  is  obliged  to  contrive,  in  or- 
der to  accomplish  his  object  ;  the  miserable  shifts  to  which 
he  IS  reduced,  in  order  to  keep  up  the  appearance  of 
common  honesty  ;  the  mass  of  contradictions,  and  the 
medley  of  falsehoods,  to  which  he  is  always  obliged  tohave 
recourse  ;  the  numerous  disappointments  to  which  his 
eager  pursuit  of  w^ealth  continually  exposes  him,  and  by 
w^hich  his  soul  is  pierced  as  with  so  many  daggers — we 
should  behold  a  wretched  being,  the  prey  of  restless  and 
contending  passions,  with  a  mind  full  of  falsehood^•,  de- 
ceitful schemes,  and  grovelling  affections,  like  a  cagefuU 
of  every  unclean  and  hateful  bird, — a  mind  incapable  of 
any  rational  enjoyment  in  this  life,  and  entirely  incapaci- 
tated for  relishing  the  nobler  enjoyments  of  the  life  to 
come.  Such  a  man  is  not  only  miserable  himself,  but  be- 
comes a  moral  nuisance  to  the  neighbourhood  around  hira  ; 
stinting  his  own  family  of  its  necessary  comforts  ;  oppress- 
ing the  widow  and  the  fatherless  ;  grasping  with  insatia- 
ble fangs  every  house,  tenement,  and  patch  of  land  within 
liis  reach  ;  hurrying  poor  unfortunate  debtors  to  jail  ;  set- 
ting adrift  the  poor  and  needy  from,  their  long-accustomed 
dwellings  ;  and  presenting  to  the  young  and  thoughtless  a 
picture,  which  is  too  frequently  copied,  of  an  immortal 
mind  immersed  in  the  mire  of  the  most  degrading  passions, 
and  worshipping  and  serving  the  creature  more  than  the 
Creator,  who  is  blessed  for  ever. 

In  relation  to  large  communities  and  nations,  this  grov- 
elling passion  has  produced,  on  an  extensive  scale,  the 
mo6t  mischievous  and  destructive  effects.     It  has  plunder- 


EFFECTS    OF    AVARICE.  275 

cd  palaces,  churches,  seats  of  learning,  and  repositories  of 
art ;  it  has  polhited  the  courts  of  judicature,  and  the  tribu- 
nals of  justice;  it  has  corrupted  magistrates,  judges,  and 
legislators  ;  and  has  transformed  many  even  of  the  minis- 
ters of  religion,  into  courtly  sycophants,  and  hunters  after 
places  and  pensions.  It  has  ground  whole  nations  to  pov- 
erty, under  the  load  of  taxation  ;  it  has  levelled  spaciou? 
ci'ties  with  the  dust;  turned  fruitful  fields  into  a  wilder- 
ness ;  spread  misery  over  whole  empires  ;  drenched  the 
earth  with  human  gore  ;  and  waded  through  fields  of  blood, 
in  order  to  satiate  its  ungovernable  desires.  What  has  led 
to  most  of  the  wars  which  have  desolated  the  eaith,  in  ev- 
ery age,  but  the  insatiable  cravings  of  this  restless  and  gro- 
velling passion  ?  It  was  the  cursed  love  of  gold  that  ex- 
cited the  Spaniards  to  ravage  the  territories  of  Mexico  and 
Peru,  to  violate  every  principle  of  justice  and  humanity, 
to  massacre,  and  to  perpetrate  the  most  horrid  cruellies  on 
their  unoffending  inhabitants.  It  is  the  same  principle, 
blended  with  the  lust  of  power,  which  still  actuates  the 
infatuated  rulers  of  that  unhappy  nation,  in  their  vain  at- 
tempts to  overthrow  the  independence  of  their  former  col- 
onies. The  same  principle  commenced,  and  still  carries 
on,  that  abominable  traffic,  the  slave  trade^ — a  traffic  which 
has  entailed  misery  on  millions  of  the  sons  of  Africa ; 
which  has  excited  wars,  and  feuds,  and  massacres,  among 
her  numerous  tribes  ;  which  has  for  ever  separated  from 
each  other  brothers  and  sisters,  parents  and  children ; 
which  has  suffocated  thousands  of  human  beings  in  the 
cells  of  a  floating  dungeon,  and  plunged  ten  thousands 
into  a  watery  grave  ; — a  traffic  which  is  a  disgrace  to  the 
human  species  ;  which  has  transformed  civilized  men  into 
infernal  fiends  ;  which  has  trampled  on  every  principle  of 
justice  ;  which  has  defaced  the  image  of  God  in  man,  arJd 
extinguished  every  spark  of  humanity  from  the  minds  of 
the  ferocious  banditti  which  avarice  has  employed  for  ac- 
complishing her  nefarious  designs.* 


*  That  this  accursed  traffic  is  still  carried  on,  with  unabated  vi- 
gour, by  the  civilized  powers  of  Europe,  appears  from  the  following 
statement : — "The  boats  of  a  British  Frigate,  the  Maidstone,  board- 
ed, in  eleven  days  of  June,  1824,  no  less  than  ten  French  vessels, 
at  »  single  spot  upon  the  coast  of  Africa  j  the  measurement  of  which 


276  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

Ambition^  or,  an  inordinate  desire  of  power,  superiority, 
and  distinction,  is  another  modification   of  this   malignant 
principle.     This  passion  is  manifested,  in  a  greater  or  less 
degree,  by  men  of  all  ranks  and  characters,  and  in  every 
situation  in  life.     It  is  displayed  in  the  school-room  by  the 
boy  who  is  always   eager  to  stand  foremost  in  his  class ; 
in  the  ball-room^  by  the  lady  who  is  proud  of  her  beauty, 
and  of  her  splenditl  attire  ;  in  the  corporation-liall,  by  tlie 
citizen  who  struts  with  an  air  of  conscious   ^ignity,  and  is 
ever  and  anon    aiming  at  pompous  harrangues ;  on   the 
bench,  by   the  haughty  and   overbearing   Judge ;    in  the 
church,   by  those  rulers  who,  like  Diotrephes,  "  Love  to 
have  the  pre-eminence ;"  in  the  jmlpit,  by  the  preacher 
whose  main  object  it  is   to  excite  the  admiration  and  ap- 
plause of  a  surrounding  audience  ;  in  the  streets,   by  the 
pompous  airs  of  the  proud   dame,  the  coxcomb,    and  the 
dashing  squire ;  in  the  village,   by  him  who  has  a  better 
Iiouse,   and  a  longer  purse,   than  his  neighbours  ;  in  the 
hamlet,  by  the  peasant  who  can  lift  the  heaviest  stone,  or 
fight  and  wrestle  with  the  greatest  strength  or  agility  ;  and 
in  the  citi/,  by  the  nobleman  who  endeavours   to  rival  all 
his  compeers  in  the  magnificence  of  his   mansion,  and  the 
splendour  of  his  equipage  ;  among  the  learned,  by  their  ea- 
ger desire  to  spread  their  name  through  the  world,  and    to 
extend  their  fame  to  succeeding  generations ;  and  among 
aH  classes  who  assume  airs  of  importance,   on   account  of 
the  antiquity  of  their  families,  their  wealth,  their  exploits 
of  heroism,  and  their  patrimonial  possessions. 

But  it  is  chiefly  on  the  great  theatre  of  the  world,  that 
ambition  has  displayed  its  most  dreadful  energies,  and  its 
most  (*^erwhelming  devastations.  In  order  to  gain  pos- 
session of  a  throne,  it  has  thrown  whole  nations  into  a 
state  of  convulsion  and  alarm.  The  road  to  political  pow- 
er and  pre-eminence,  has   been  prepared  by  the  overflow 


vessels  was  between  1,400  and  1,600  tons,  while  they  were  destined 
for  the  incarceration — we  might  say,  the  hving  burial — of  3,000  hu- 
man bqings!"  The  report  to  Government  says — "The  scliooner, 
La  Louisa,  Qapt.  Arniand,  arrived  at  Guadaloupe,  duilntr  the  first 
days  of  April,  1824,  with  a  cartjo  of  200  negroes,  the  remainder  of  a 
complement  of  375,  which  the  vessel  had  on  hoard.  The  vessel  not 
beinii;  large  enouLdi  to  accommodate  so  great  a  number  of  men,  the 
overplus  locre  consigned  alive  to  the  loaves  hij  the  Captain  /" 


EFFECTS    OF    AMBITION.  277 

of  truth  and  justice,  by  fomenting  feuds  and  contentions, 
by  bribery,  murder,  and  assassinations,  by  sanguinary  bat- 
tles, by  the  plunder  of  whole  provinces,  the  desolation  of 
cities  and  villages,  and  by  the  sighs,  the  groans,  and  la- 
mentations of  unnumbered  widows  and  orphans.  In  or- 
der to  raise  a  silly  mortal  to  despotic  power  on  the  throne 
of  Spain,  how  many  human  victims  have  been  sacrificed 
at  the  altar  of  ambition  !  how  many  families  have  been 
rent  asunder,  and  plunged  into  irremediable  ruin  !  and 
how  many  illustrious  patriots  have  been  immured  in  dun- 
geons, and  have  expired  under  the  axe  of  the  executioner  ! 
At  the  present  moment,  the  fertile  vales  of  Mexico,  the 
mountams  and  plains  of  South  America,  the  forests  of  the 
Burmese,  and  the  shores  of  Turkey  and  of  Greece,  are 
every  where  covered  with  the  ravages  of  this  fell  destroyer, 
whose  path  is  always  marked  with  desolation  and  blood- 
shed. To  recount  all  the  evils  which  ambition  has  pro- 
duced over  this  vast  globe,  would  be  to  write  a  history  of 
the  struggles  and  contests  of  nations,  and  of  the  sorrows 
and  sufferings  of  mankind.  So  insatiable  is  this  ungov- 
ernable passion,  that  the  whole  earth  appears  a  field  too 
small  for  its  m.alignant  operations.  Alexander  the  Great, 
after  having  conquered  the  greater  part  of  the  knowai  world, 
wept,  because  he  had  not  another  world  to  conquer.  Were 
there  no  physical  impediments  to  obstruct  the  course  of 
this  detestable  passion,  it  would  ravage,  not  only  the  globe 
on  which  we  dwell,  but  the  whole  of  the  planetary 
worlds  ;  it  would  range  from  system  to  system,  carrying 
ruin  and  devastation  in  its  train,  till  the  material  universe 
•was  involved  in  misery  and  desolation  ;  and  it  would  at- 
tempt to  subvert  even  the  foundations  of  the  throne  of  the 
Eternal. 

Such  are  some  of  the  dismal  and  destructive  effects  of 
covetousness,  when  prosecuting  the  paths  of  avarice  and 
ambition :  and  when  we  consider,  that  it  is  unfformly  ac- 
companied in  its  progress,  with  pride,  envy,  discontent- 
ment, and  restless  desires, — it  is  easy  to  perceive,  that, 
were  it  left  to  reign  without  control  over  the  human  mind, 
it  would  soon  desolate  every  region  of  the  earth,  and  pro- 
duce all  the  destructive  effects  which,  as  we  have  already 
showai,  would  flow  from  a  universal  violation  of  the  other 
precepts  of  God's  law. 

On  the   other   hand.   Contentment^ — the    duty    implied 


278  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

in  this  command,  would  draw  along  with  it  an  unnumber- 
ed train  of  blessings,  and  would  restore  tranqnilliiy  and 
repose  to  our  distracted  world.  To  be  contented  under 
the  allotments  of  the  providence  of  God,  is  one  of  the 
first  and  fundamental  duties  of  every  rational  creature. 
By  contentment  and  resignation  to  the  divine  disposal, 
we  recognize  God  as  the  Supreme  Governor  of  the  uni- 
verse ;  as  directed  by  infinite  wisdom,  in  the  distribution 
of  his  bounty  among  the  children  of  men  ;  as  proceeding 
on  the  basis  of  eternal  and  immutable  justice,  in  all  his 
providential  arrangements ;  and  as  actuated  by  a  principle 
of  unbounded  benevolence,  which  has  a  regard  to  the  ul- 
timate happiness  of  his  creatures.  Under  the  government 
of  such  a  Being,  we  have  abundant  reason,  not  only  to 
be  contented  and  resigned,  but  to  be  glad  and  to  rejoice. 
"  The  Lord  reigneth,  let  the  earth  be  glad,  let  the  mul- 
titude of  the  isles  thereof  rejoice."  However  scanty 
may  be  the  portion  of  earthly  good  measured  out  to  us  at 
present,  and  however  perplexing  and  mysterious  the  exter- 
nal circumstances  in  which  we  may  now  be  involved,  we 
may  rest  assured,  that,  under  the  government  of  unerring 
wisdom,  rectitude,  and  benevol^ence,  all  such  dispensations 
shall  ultimately  be  found  to  have  been,  not  only  consist- 
ent with  justice,  but  conducive  to  our  present  and  ever- 
lasting interests.  Were  such  sentiments  and  affections 
to  pervade  the  minds  of  all  human  beings,  what  a  host 
of  malignant  passions  would  be  chased  away  from  the 
hearts  and  from  the  habitations  of  men  ?  Restless  cares, 
and  boundless  and  unsatisfied  desires,  which  constitute 
the  source  and  the  essence  of  misery,  would  no  longer* 
agitate  and  torment  the  human  mind.  Voluptuousness 
would  no  longer  riot  at  the  table  of  luxury  on  dainties, 
wrung  from  the  sweat  of  thousands  ; — nor  avarice  glut  its 
insatiable  desires  with  the  spoils  of  the  widow  and  the 
orphan ; — nor  ambition  ride  in  triumph  over  the  miseries 
of  a  suffering  world.  Every  one,  submissive  to  the  al- 
lotments of  his  Creator,  and  grateful  for  that  portion  of 
his  bounty  whicli  he  has  been  pleased  to  bestow,  would 
view  the  wealth  and  enjoyments  of  his  neiglibour  with  a 
kind  and  benignant  eye,  and  rejoice  in  the  prosperity  of 
all  around  him.  Benevolence  and  peace  would  diffuse 
their  benign  influence  over  the  nations,  and  mankind,  de- 


GENERAL    CONCLUSIONS.  279 

iivcred  from  the  fear  of  every  thing  that  might  "hurt  or 
destroy,"  would  march  forward  in  harmony  and  afiection, 
to  that  happier  ^vorld  where  every  wish  will  be  crowned, 
and  every  holy  desire  satisfied  in  God  "  their  exceeding 
great  reward." 

Thus  it  appears,  that,  on  the  observance  of  this  law, 
which  closes  the  Decalogue,  and  which  has  a  reference  to 
a  single  affection  of  the  mind — the  order  and  happiness  of 
the  intelligent  system  almost  entirely  depends.  Let  the 
Jllood-gates  of  Covctousness  be  burst  open,  and  let  it  flow 
In  every  direction  without  control, — in  a  short  period  the 
world  is  desolated,  and  overwhelrried  with  a  deluge  of 
miseries.  Let  the  current  of  every  passion  and  desire  be 
restrained  within  its  legitimate  boundary,  and  let  content- 
ment take  up  its  residence  in  every  heart,  and  this  delusre 
will  soon  be  dried  up,  and  a  new  Avorld  will  appear,  array- 
ed in  all  the  loveliness,  and  verdure,  and  beauty  of  Edeix. 
May  Jehovah  hasten  it  in  his  time  ! 

Thus  I  have  endeavoured,  in  the  preceding  sketches, 
to  tllustrate  the  reasonableness  of  those  laws  which  God 
has  promulgated  for  regulating  the  moral  conduct  of  the 
iilteUigent  creation.  If  the  propriety  of  these  illustra- 
tions be  admitted,  they  may  be  considered  as  a  commen- 
tary OH  the  words  of  the  Apostle  Paul :  "  The  law  is  holy, 
and  the  commandment  is  holy  and  just  and  good^  In  like 
manjior,  it  might  have  been  shown,  that  all  the  Apostolic 
injunctions,  ami  othe^r  precepts  recorded  in  the  volume  of 
iiispiration,  are  accordant  with  the  dictates  of  reason, 
and  wtth  the  relations  of  moral  agents  ;  for  they  are  all  so 
many  subordinate  ramifications  of  the  principles  and  laws^ 
wiflch  I  have  already  illustrated. 


General  Conclusions  and  Remarks,  founded  on  the  pg'ecediJtg 
illustrations. 

I  sjiall  DOW  conclude  this  chapter  with  the  statement 
of  a  few  remarks  in  relation  to  the  moral  law,  founded  on 
the  iH«i&tra<ions  which  have  been  given   in  the  precedinj^ 


280  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

pages  ;  which  may  be  considered  as  so  many  inferences 
deduced  from  the  general  subject  which  has  now  occu- 
pied our  attention. 

I.  In  the  first  place,  One  obvious  conchision  from  the 
preceding  ilhistrations  is,  That  the  laws  of  God  are  not 
the  commands  of  an  arbitrary  Sovereign,  but  are  founded 
on  the  nature  of  things,  and  on  the  relations  which  exist 
in  the  intelligent  system.  Many  Divines,  especially  those 
of  the  supralapsarian  school,  have  been  disposed  to  as- 
cribe every  regulation  of  the  Deity,  to  the  Divine  Sove- 
reignty. I  have  been  told  that,  in  one  of  the  Latin  trea- 
tises of  Mr.  Samuel  Rutherford,  Professor  of  Divinity,  in 
St.  Andrews,  there  is  a  sentiment  to  the  following  pur- 
pose: "That  such  is  the  absolute  sovereignty  of  God, 
that,  had  it  so  pleased  him,  he  might  have  made  every 
precept  of  the  moral  law  given  to  man  exactly  the  reverse 
of  what  we  now  find  it."  A  sentiment  more  directly  re- 
pugnant to  the  scriptural  character  of  God,  and  to  every 
view  we  can  take  of  the  divine  attributes,  it  is  scarcely 
possible  for  the  human  mind  to  entertain ;  and  it  shows 
us  the  dangerous  consequences  to  which  we  are  exposed, 
when  we  attempt  to  push  certain  theological  dogmas  to  an 
extreme.  If  it  were  possible  to  suppose  the  Deity  capa- 
ble of  such  an  act,  it  would  overturn  all  the  grounds  on 
which  we  are  led  to  contemplate  him  as  glorious,  amiable, 
and  adorable.  At  some  future  period  in  the  revolutions  of 
eternity,  his  love,  his  rectitude,  and  his  faithfulness,  might 
be  changed  into  malevolence,  injustice,  and  falsehood. 
If  the  requisitions  of  the  moral  law  depended  solely  on 
the  Divine  Sovereignty,  then  there  is  no  inherent  excel- 
lence in  virtue;  and  theft,  falsehood,  murder,  idolatry, 
profanity,  cruelty,  wars,  devastations,  and  the  malevolence 
of  infernal  demons,  might  become  equally  amiable  and  ex- 
cellent as  truth,  justice,  benevolence,  and  the  songs  and 
adorations  of  angels  ;  provided  the  Deity  idllcd  the  change 
to  take  place.  But  this  is  impossible  ;  and  it  is  evident, 
I  isrust,  from  the  preceding  illustrations,  that,  were  moral 
laws,  directly  opposite  to  those  contained  in  the  scriptu- 
ral code,  to  be  prescribed  to  men,  or  to  any  other  class  of 
moral  agents,  not  only  would  misery  reign  uncontrolled 
through  the  universe,  but,  in  a  short  time,  the  operation 


GENERAL    CONCLUSIONS.  281 

of  such  laws  would  annihilate  the  whole  intelligent  crea- 
tion. 

It  is  evident,  then,  that  the  moral  law  is  not  founded 
on  the  lotll  of  God,  but  on  the  relations  of  intelligent 
beings,  and  on  its  own  intrinsic  excellence  :  or,  in  other 
words,  on  its  tendency  to  produce  happiness  throughout 
the  intelligent  system.  This  idea  nearly  coincides  with 
that  of  some  of  our  modern  Moralists,  who  maintain  "  that 
virtue  is  founded  on  utility," — if,  by  utility,  is  meant, 
a  tendency  to  promote  happiness.  But  it  by  no  means 
follows,  from  this  position,  as  some  moralists  have  con- 
cluded, that  utility  is  the  guide,  or  the  rule  by  which  we 
are  to  be  directed  in  our  moral  conduct.  This  may  be  con- 
sidered as  the  rule  which  directs  the  conduct  of  the  Di- 
vine Being,  whose  eye  takes  in  the  whole  system  of  crea- 
tion, whose  knowledge  extends  from  eternity  past,  to  eter- 
nity to  come,  and  who  perceives,  at  one  glance,  the  remot- 
est consequences  of  every  action.  But  it  cannot  be  a  rule 
for  subordinate  intelligences,  and  especially  for  man,  who 
stands  near  the  lowest  degree  of  the  scale  of  intellectu- 
al existence.  From  the  limited  range  of  view  to  which 
he  is  confined,  he  cannot  trace  the  remote  consequences 
of  any  particular  action,  the  bearings  it  may  have  on  un- 
numbered individuals,  and  the  relation  in  M'hich  it  may 
stand  to  the  concerns  of  the  eternal  world.  An  action 
which,  to  our  limited  view,  may  appear  either  beneficial 
or  indiflerent,  may  involve  a  principle  which,  if  traced  to 
it^  remotest  consequences,  would  lead  to  the  destruction 
of  the  moral  universe.  It  might  appear,  at  first  view,  on 
the  whole,  beneficial  to  society,  that  an  old  unfeeling  mi- 
ser should  be  gently  suffocated,  and  his  treasures  applied 
for  the  purpose  of  rearing  asylums  for  the  aged  poor,  and 
seminaries  of  instruction  for  the  young.  But  the  principle 
which  would  sanction  such  an  action,  if  generally  acted 
upon,  would  lead  to  universal  plunder,  robbery  and  blood- 
shed. To  tell  a  lie  to  a  child,  in  order  to  induce  it  to  take 
a  nauseous  medicine  which  is  essential  to  its  recovery  from 
disease,  may  appear,  in  such  a  case,  to  have  a  benevolent 
tendency  ;  but  we  have  already  shown,  that  were  such  a 
principle  universally  admitted,  it  would  introduce  anarcliy 
and  misery  through  the  universe,  and  would  ultimately 
annihilate  the  intelligent  creation.  Man,  in  his  present 
24 


282  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELlGIOJf. 

State,  can  be  directed  only  by  positive  laws  itroceeding  (rom 
the  Almighty,  whose  comprehensive  mind  alone  can  trace 
all  their  consequences  to  the  remotest  corners  of  the  uni- 
verse, and  through  all  the  ages  of  eternity.  These  laws 
are  contained  in  the  Scriptures — a  comprehensive  summa- 
ry of  which  has  been  the  subject  of  the  preceding  illustra- 
tions. And  we  know,  in  point  of  fact,  that  in  every  coun- 
try where  these  laws  are  either  unknown,  or  not  recognis- 
ed, there  is  no  fixed  standard  of  morals,  and  vice,  in  its 
various  ramifications,  almost  universally  prevails. 

From  what  has  been  now  stated  we  may  infer — that  a 
full  and  unreserved  obedience  to  the  Divine  law  is  a  most 
reasonable  requisition.  Men  are  too  frequently  disposed  to 
view  the  commands  of  God  as  the  dictates  of  an  arbitrary 
Sovereign.  There  is  a  secret  thought  that  occasionally 
lodges  in  the  heart  of  every  human  being,  that  the  law  of 
God  is  too  extensive  and  rigorous  in  its  demands,  accom- 
panied with  a  secret  wish,  that  the  severity  of  its  requisi- 
tions could  be  a  little  modified  or  relaxed.  Every  man  is 
subject  to  some  "  besetting  sin,"  and  he  is  apt  to  say  with- 
in himself—"  If  I  were  allowed  but  a  little  license  wdth 
regard  to  one  precept  of  the  law,  I  would  endeavour  to  do 
what  I  could  to  comply  with  th©  requisitions  of  the  rest.'' 
But,  it  would  be  inconsistent  both  with  the  benevolence  of 
the  Deity,  and  with  the  happiness  of  his  moral  creation, 
either  to  modify  or  to  relax  any  one  requirement  of  his 
law  ;  for  it  is  a  perfect  law,  from  which  nothing  can  be 
taken  without  impairing  its  excellence  and  utility.  Were 
he  to  do  so,  it  would  be  in  effect,  to  shut  up  the  path  to 
happiness,  and  to  open  the  flood-gates  of  misery  upon  the 
universe. — Although  it  is  impossible  for  man  in  his  present 
degraded  condition,  to  yield  a  perfect  obedience  to  this 
law,  yet  nothing  short  of  perfect  obedience  ought  to  be  his 
aim.  For  in  as  far  as  we  fall  short  of  it,  in  so  far  do  we 
fall  short  of  happiness  ;  and  consequently,  till  that  period 
arrive  when  our  obedience  shall  reach  the  summit  of  per- 
fection, our  happiness  must  remain  incomplete,  and  a  cer- 
tain portion  of  misery  must  be  expected  to  mingle  itself 
with  all  our  enjoyments. 

II.  There  is  so  intimate  a  connection  between  all  the 
parts  of  the  Divine  larr,  that  the  habitual  vi^lcHion  of  any  one 
precept  necessarily  includes  the  violation  of  the  grcai-er  part^ 


GENERAL    CONCLUSIONS.  283 

if  not  the  whole  of  the  other  precepts.  This  is  evident 
from  the  general  tenor  of  the  preceding  illustrations.  It 
has  been  shown  that  a  breach  of  the  first  commandment 
includes  pride,  falsehood,  blasphemy,  ingratitude,  and 
hatred  of  moral  excellence  ;  and  that  it  leads  to  injustice, 
cruelty,  murder,  obscenity  and  the  most  revolting  abomina- 
tions. A  breach  of  the  fifth  involves  a  principle  which 
would  sap  the  foundations  of  all  government  and  moral  or- 
der, and  transform  society  into  a  rabble  of  lawless  banditti. 
The  violation  of  the  eighth  is  connected  with  falsehood, 
treachery,  and  covetousness,  and  leads  to  oppression,  rob- 
bery, plunder,  murders,  and  the  devastation  of  empires  ; 
and  the  violation  of  the  tenth,  though  consisting  only  in 
the  indulgence  of  an  irregular  desire,  is  the  origin  of  al- 
most every  other  species  of  moral  turpitude,  in  relation 
either  to  God  or  to  man.  In  like  manner  it  might  be 
shown,  that  the  strict  and  regular  observance  of  any  one 
precept  is  necessarily  connected  with  a  regard  for  all  the 
other  requirements  of  God's  law. 

III.  It  appears,  from  the  preceding  illustrations,  that  a 
universal  violation  of  any  one  of  the  six  precepts  of  the 
second  table  of  the  law,  Would  lead  to  the  entire  destruc- 
tion of  the  human  race.  In  the  case  of  the  sixth  com- 
mandment being  supposed  to  be  reversed,  or  universally 
violated,  this  effect  would  be  most  rapidly  produced  ;  but 
the  destruction  and  complete  extirpation  of  human  beings 
from  the  earth  would  be  as  certainly  effected,  in  the  course 
of  two  or  three  generations,  by  the  universal  violation  of 
any  one  of  the  other  five  precepts.  Some  of  the  circum- 
stances which  would  necessarily  produce  this  effect,  are 
alluded  to,  in  the  preceding  illustration  of  these  precepts. 
And  as  the  first  principle  of  the  moral  law,  love  to  God, 
is  the  foundation  of  the  precepts  contained  in  the  second 
table,  it  is  obvious,  that  the  same  effect  would  ultimately 
follow  from  a  universal  violation  of  the  first  four  precepts 
of  the  Decalogue. 

IV.  It  follows  from  M'hat  has  hitherto  been  stated.  That 
the  moral  law  has  never  yet  been  universally  violated,  nor 
has  any  one  of  its  precepts  been  completely  reversed  in 
the  conduct  of  the  inhabitants  of  our  globe.  Every  in- 
dividual, of  all  the  millions  of  mankind  that  have  existed 
gjnce  the  fall  of  Adam,  has,  indeed,  in  one  shape  or  an* 


284  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

Other,  broken  every  one  of  the  coramHiidments  of  God  ; 
but  such  breaches  have  not  been  constant  and  unifoim, 
and  running  through  every  action  he  performed.  False- 
hood has  always  been  mingled  with  a  portion  of  truth, 
theft  with  honesty,  cruelty  with  clemency  and  mercy,  an- 
archy with  subordination,  and  licentiousness  with  chas- 
tit}'  and  purity.  It  is  owing  to  this  partial  obedience  to 
the  dictates  of  the  law  of  nature,  impressed  upon  every 
human  heart,  that  the  world  of  mankind  has  hitherto 
been  preserved  in  existence.  The  partial  violation,  how- 
ever, of  the  divine  law,  which  has  characterized  the  ac- 
tions of  mankind,  in  all  ages,  has  been  the  source  of  all  the 
calamities,  miseries,  and  moral  abominations,  under  which 
the  earth  has  groaned  from  generation  to  generation  ; 
and,  in  proportion  to  the  extent  of  this  violation,  will  be 
the  extent  of  wretchedness  and  misery  entailed  on  the 
human  race. — That  a  universal  violation  of  God's  law 
has  never  yet  taken  place  in  any  region  of  the  earth,  is  not 
owing  so  much  to  any  want  of  energy,  or  of  malignity 
in  the  principle  of  disobedience  which  is  seated  in  the 
hearts  of  men,  as  to  the  restraining  influence  of  the  moral 
Governor  of  the  world,  and  to  the  physical  impediments 
which  he  has  placed,  to  prevent  the  diabolical  passions  of 
men  from  raging  witliout  control.  Whether  it  be  possible 
for  any  class  of  intelligent  organized  beings  to  subsist 
for  any  length  of  time,  under  a  complete  violation  of  the 
moral  law,  it  is  not  for  us  positively  to  determine  ;  but  it 
is  evident  to  a  demonstration,  that,  in  the  present  physical 
condition  of  the  human  race,  such  a  violation  would  un- 
hinge the  whole  fabric  of  society,  and,  in  a  short  time,  ex- 
terminate the  race  of  Adam  from  the  earth. 

V.  The  greater  part  of  the  precepts  of  the  Decalogue  is 
binding  upon  superior  intelligences,  and  upon  the  inhab- 
itants of  all  worlds,  as  well  as  upon  man.  For  any  thing 
Ave  know  to  the  contrary,  there  may  be  worlds  in  differ- 
ent regions  of  the  universe,  and  even  within  the  bounds  of 
our  planetary  system,  where  their  inhabitants  are  placed 
in  circumstances  similar  to  those  in  which  man  was  placed 
in  his  paradisiacal  state  ;  and,  consequently,  where  the 
precepts  which  compose  their  moral  code  may  be  exactly 
the  same  as  ours.  But,  it  is  highly  probable  that,  in  gener- 
al, the  inhabitants  of  the  various  globes,  which  float  in  the 


GENERAL    COXCLVSIONS.  285 

immensity  of  space,  differ  as  much  in  their  moral  circum- 
stances and  relations,  as  the  globes  themselves  do  in  their 
size,  their  physical  constitution,  and  their  natural  sce- 
nery. I  have  already  shown,  (p.  154,  &c.)  that  there 
are  seven  precepts  of  our  moral  law  which  are  common  to 
the  inhabitants  of  all  worlds,  namely,  the  jirst^  second^ 
third.,  fourth^  (see  p.  233.),  the  sixths  the  7im/A,  and  the 
tc7ith.  And,  if  there  be  no  portion  of  the  intelligent  sys- 
tem in  which  subordination.,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree, 
does  not  exist,  then,  the  fifth  precept  of  our  code  must 
also  be  a  law  common  to  all  intelligences.  It  was  for- 
merly stated,  (p.  250.)  that  the  seventh  precept  is,  in  all 
probabiHty,  a  law  pecuHar  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth, 
during  the  present  economy  of  Providence  ;  and,  perhaps, 
it  is  the  only  one  which  is  not  applicable  to  the  other  in- 
habitants of  the  universe.  So  that  the  moral  laws  given 
to  man  may  be  considered  as  substantially  the  same  with 
those  which  govern  all  the  other  parts  of  the  universal  sys- 
tem. 

VI.  From  the  preceding  illustrations,  we  may  infer,  the 
excellency  and  the  divine  origin  of  the  Christian  Revela- 
tion. The  Scriptures  contain  the  most  impressive  evidence 
of  their  heavenly  original  in  their  own  bosom.  The 
wide  range  of  objects  they  embrace,  extending  from  the 
commencement  of  our  earthly  system,  through  all  the 
revolutions  o{  time,  to  the  period  of  its  termination  ;  and 
from  the  countless  ages  of  eternity  past,  to  the  more  grand 
and  diversified  scenes  of  eternity  to  come — the  plan  of 
Providence  which  they  unfold,  and  the  views  they  exhibit 
of  the  moral  principles  of  the  Divine  government,  and  of 
the  subordination  of  all  events  to  the  accomplishment 
of  a  glorious  design — the  character  and  attributes  of  the 
Creator,  Avhich  they  illustrate  by  the  most  impressive 
delineations,  and  the  most  lofty  and  sublime  descriptions 
— the  views  they  exhibit  of  the  existence,  the  powers, 
the  capacities,  the  virtues,  and  the  employments  of  superior 
orders  of  intellectual  beings — the  demonstrations  they  af- 
ford of  the  dignified  station,  and  of  the  high  destination 
of  man — and  the  sublime  and  awful  scenes  they  unfold, 
when  the  earth  "  shall  melt  like  wax  at  the  presence  of 
the  Lord,"  when  the  throne  of  judgment  shall  be  set, 
and  the  unnumbered  millions  of  the  race  of  Adam  shall 
24* 


286  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION* 

be  assembled  before  tbe  Judge  of  all — infinitely  sur- 
pass every  thing  which  the  unassisted  imaginations  of  men 
could  have  devised,  and  every  thing  which  had  ever  been 
attempted  by  the  greatest  sages  of  antiquity,  either  in 
prose  or  in  rhyme  ;  and,  consequently  prove,  to  a  moral 
demonstration,  that  a  Power  and  Intelligence,  superior  to 
the  human  mind,  must  have  suggested  such  sublime  con- 
ceptions, and  such  astonishing  ideas  ;  since  there  are  no 
prototypes  of  such  objects  to  be  found  within  the  ordinary 
range  of  the  human  mind. 

But  the  subject  to  which  we  have  been  hitlierto  ad- 
verting, when  properly  considered,  suggests  an  evidence 
of  the  truth  and  divinity  of  the  Scriptures,  as  striking, 
and,  perhaps,  more  convincing  than  any  other.  They  un- 
fold to  us  the  moral  laws  of  the  universe — they  present  to 
us  a  summary  of  moral  principles  and  precepts,  which  in 
applicable  to  all  the  tribes  and  generations  of  men,  to  all 
the  orders  of  angelic  beings,  and  to  all  the  moral  intelli- 
gences that  people  the  amplitudes  of  creation — to  man, 
during  his  temporary  abode  on  earth,  and  to  man,  when 
placed  in  heaven,  so  long  as  eternity  endures — precepts, 
whicfe,  if  universally  observed,  would  banish  misery  from 
the  creation,  and  distribute  happiness,  without  alloy, 
among  all  the  intellectual  beings  that  exist  throughout  the 
empire  of  God.  Can  these  things  be  affirmed  of  any 
other  system  of  religion  or  of  morals  that  was  ever  pub- 
lished to  the  world  ?  The  (ireek  and  Ronian  moralists, 
after  all  their  laboured  investigations,  could  never  arrive 
at  any  certain  determination  with  regard  to  the  nature  of 
happiness,  and  the  means  of  attaining  it.  We  are  told  by 
Varro,  one  of  the  most  learned  writers  of  the  Augustan 
age,  that,  the  heathen  philosophers  had  embraced  more 
than  two  hundred  and  eighty  diderent  opinions  respecting 
the  supreme  good.  Some  of  them  taught  that  it  consisu 
ed  in  sensual  enjoyments,  and  in  fieedom  from  j)ain  ; 
otliers  considered  it  as  placed  in  study  and  contemplation, 
in  military  glory,  in  riches,  honours,  wealth  and  fame. 
Some  of  their  moral  maxims,  separately  considered,  were 
rational  and  excellent  ;  but  they  were  connected  with 
other  maxims,  which  completely  neutralized  all  their  vir- 
tue, and  their  tendency  to  produce  happiness.  Pride, 
falsehood,  injustice,  impurity,  revenge,   and  an  unfeeling 


GENERAL    CO\CI,USIOi\'S.  287 

?.pathy  to  the  distresses  of  their  fellow-creatures,  were 
considered  as  quite  consistent  with  their  system  of  mo- 
rahty ;  and  such  malignant  principles  and  practices  were 
blended  with  their  most  virtuous  actions.  But  we  have 
already  shown,  that  the  uniform  operation  of  such  prin- 
ciples would  necessarily  lead  to  the  destruction  of  all  haj)- 
piness,  and  to  the  overthrow  of  all  order  throughout  the 
iutelligent  creation. 

Now,  can  it  be  supposed,  for  a  moment,  that  a  Jew^  who 
liad  spent  forty  years  of  his  life  as  a  shepherd  in  a  desert 
country,  who  lived  in  a  rude  age  of  the  world,  who  had 
never  studied  a  system  of  ethics,  and  whose  mind  was 
altogether  incapable  of  tracing  the  various  relations  which 
subsist  between  intelligent  beings  and  their  Creator, 
could  have  investigated  those  moral  principles  and  laws 
which  form  the  foundation  of  the  moral  universe,  and  the 
basis  of  the  divine  government  in  all  worlds  ;  unless  they 
had  been  communicated  immediately  by  Him  who,  at  one 
glance,  beholds  all  the  physical  and  moral  relations  which 
exist  throughout  creation,  and  who  can  trace  the  bearings 
and  the  eternal  consequences  of  every  moral  law  ?  Or  can 
we  suppose,  that,  throughout  the  whole  period  of  the  Jew- 
ish economy,  and  during  the  first  ages  of  the  Christian 
dispensation,  a  multitude  of  writers  should  appear,  many 
of  them  unknown  to  each  other,  all  of  whom  shcnild  uni- 
formly recognise  those  laws  in  their  minutest  bearings 
and  ramifications,  unless  their  minus  had  been  enlighten- 
ed and  directed  by  the  same  powerful  and  unerring  Intel- 
ligence? If  these  laws  are  distinguished  by  their  extreme 
swiplicity^  they  are  the  more  characteristic  of  their  divine 
Author,  who,  from  the  general  operation  of  a  few  simple 
principles  and  laws  in  the  system  of  nature,  produces  all 
the  variety  we  perceive  in  the  material  world,  and  all  the 
harmonies,  the  contrasts,  the  beauties,  and  the  sublimities 
of  the  universe.  If  it  be  asked  why  these  lavv's,  which 
are  so  extremely  simple  and  comprehensive,  were  not 
discovered  nor  recognised  by  the  ancient  sages?  it  might 
be  answered,  by  asking  why  the  laws  of  gravitation, 
which  are  also  simple  and  comprehensive,  were  not  dii*- 
covered,  till  Newton  arose  to  investigate  the  agencies  of 
nature,  and  to  pour  a  flood  of  light  on  the  system  of  the 
universe  }  But  the  true  reasons    are — that  the   unassisted 


288  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OP    RELIGION. 

powers  of  the  human-  mind  M^ere  inadequate  to  the  task 
of  surveying  all  the  moral  relations  which  subsist  through- 
out the  intelligent  system,  and  of  tracing  those  moral  prin- 
ciples which  would  apply  to  the  whole  assemblage  of  mo- 
ral agents,  so  as  to  secure  the  happiness  of  each  individu- 
al, and  of  the  system  as  one  great  whole — that  the  laws 
of  God  were  almost  directly  contrary  to  the  leading  max- 
ims of  morality  which  prevailed  in  the  world — and  that 
they  struck  at  the  root  of  all  those  principles  of  pride,  am- 
bition, revenge,  and  impurity,  which  almost  universally 
directed  the  conduct  of  individuals  and  of  nations. 

If,  then,  we  find  in  a  book  which  professes  to  be  a  rev- 
elation from  heaven,  a  system  of  moral  laws  which  can 
clearly  be  shown  to  be  the  basis  of  the  moral  order  of  the 
universe,  and  which  are  calculated  to  secure  the  eternal 
happiness  of  all  intellectual  beings — it  forms  a  strong  pre- 
sumptive proof,  if  not  an  unanswerable  argument,  that  the 
contents  of  that  book  are  of  a  celestial  origin,  and  were 
dictated  by  Him  who  gave  birth  to  the  whole  system  of 
created  beings. 

VII.  P>om  this  subject  we  may  learn  the  absurdity 
and  the  pernicious  tendency  of  Antinomianism.  Of  all 
the  absurdities  and  abominations  which  have  assumed  the 
name  of  Religion,  I  know  none  more  pernicious  and  atheis- 
tical in  its  tendency,  than  the  sentiment  which  is  tenacious- 
ly maintained  by  modern  Antinomians,  "  That  Christians 
are  set  free  from  the  law  of  God  as  a  rule  of  conduct." 
That  in  the  nineteenth  century  of  the  Christian  era, 
amidst  the  rapid  progress  of  physical  and  moral  science, 
under  the  mask  of  a  Christian  profession,  and  with  the 
moral  precepts  and  injunctions  of  the  prophets,  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  of  his  apostles,  lying  open  before  them,  a  set 
of  men,  caUing  themselves  rational  beings,  should  arise 
to  maintain,  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  "  imputed  sanc- 
tification,"  that  the  moral  law  is  not  obligatory  upon 
(christians,  and  that"  whoever  talks  of  progressive  sanc- 
tification  is  guilty  of  high  treason  against  th«  majesty  of 
heaven"* — is  a  moral   phenomenon   truly   humbling    and 


♦  Sec  Cottle's  "Strictures  on  Uie  Plymouth  Antinomians. 


GENERAL    CONCLUSIONS.  289 

astonishing ;  and  affords  an  additional  proof,  to  tiie  many 
other  evidences  which  He  before  us,  of  the  folly  and  per- 
versity of  the  human  mind,  and  of  its  readiness  to  em- 
brace the  most  wild  and  glaring  absurdities  !  If  the  lead- 
ing train  of  sentiment  which  has  been  prosecuted  in  the 
preceding  illustrations  be  admitted,  there  appears  nothing 
else  requisite  in  order  to  show  the  gross  absurdity  and 
the  deadly  malignity  of  the  Antinomian  system.  If  any 
system  of  religion  be  founded  on  the  cancellation  of  eve- 
ry moral  tie  which  connects  man  with  man,  and  man  with 
God — if  its  •  fundamental  and  distinguishing  principles, 
when  carried  out  to  their  legitimate  consequences,  would 
lead  men  to  hate  their  Creator  and  to  hate  one  another — 
if  it  can  be  shown,  that  the  operation  of  such  principles 
constitutes  the  chief  ingredient  of  the  misery  which  arises 
from  "  the  worm  that  never  dies,  and  the  fire  which  is 
never  quenched ;"  and  that,  if  universally  acted  upon, 
they  would  overthrow  all  order  in  the  intelligent  system, 
and  banish  every  species  of  happiness  from  the  universe 
— it  necessarily  follows,  that  such  a  system  cannot  be 
the  religion  prescribed  by  the  All-wise  and  benevolent 
Creator,  nor  any  part  of  that  revelation  which  proclaims 
"  peace  on  earth  and  good  will  among  men,"  and  which 
enjoins  us  to  "  love  the  Lord  our  God  with  all  our  hearts, 
and   our  neighbour  as  ourselves." 

The  Antinomian,  in  following  out  his  own  principles, 
if  no  human  laws  or  prudential  considerations  were  to  de- 
ter him,  might  run  to  every  excess  of  profligacy  and  de- 
bauchery— might  indulge  in  impiety,  falsehood,  and  pro- 
fanity— might  commit  theft,  robbery,  adultery,  fraud,  cru- 
elty, injustice,  and  even  murder,  without  considering  him- 
self as  acting  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  his  religious  sys- 
tem. On  his  principles,  the  idea  of  heaven^  or  a  state  of 
perfect  happiness,  is  a  physical  and  moral  impossibility  ; 
and  the  idea  of  hell  a  mere  bugbear  to  frigliten  children 
and  fools.  For,  wherever  the  moral  law  is  generally  ob- 
served, there  can  be  no  great  portion  of  misery  experi- 
enced under  the  arrangements  of  a  benevolent  Creator : 
and  if  this  law  be  set  aside,  or  its  observance  considered 
as  a  matter  of  indifierence,  the  foundation  of  all  the  hap- 
piness of  saints  and  angels  is  necessarily  subverted.  A 
heaven  without  love    pervading   the  breasts  of  all    its  in« 


2&0  THE    PHILOSOPHV    OF    RELIGION. 

habitants,  would  be  a  contradiction  in  terms ;  but  love, 
as  we  have  already  seen,  is  the  foundation  of  every  moral 
precept. 

I  trust  the  moral  conduct  of  the  deluded  mortals  who 
have  embraced  this  system  is  more  respectable  than  that 
to  which  their  principles  naturally  lead  ; — but  the  con- 
sideration, that  such  absurd  and  dangerous  opinions  have 
been  deduced  from  the  Christian  revelation,  should  act  as 
a  powerful  stimulus  on  the  Christian  world,  for  directing 
their  attention  to  a  more  minute  and  comprehensive  illus- 
tration than  has  hitherto  been  given,  of  the  jjractical  bear- 
ings of  the  Christian  system,  and  of  the  eternal  and  immu- 
table obligation  of  the  law  of  God,  which  it  is  the  great 
end  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  to  enforce  and  demonstrate. 
For  it  is  lamentable  to  reflect,  how  many  thousands  of  re- 
ligionists, both  in  North  and  in  South  Britain,  even  in  the 
present  day,  have  their  minds  tinctured,  in  a  greater  or 
less  degree,  with  the  poison  of  Antinomianism,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  general  strain  of  iiuny  of  the  doctrinal  ser- 
mons they  are  accustomed  to  hear,  and  of  the  injudicious 
sentiments  they  have  imbibed  from  the  writings  of  the 
supralapsarian  divines  of  the  seventeenth  century: 

VIII.  Faith  and  repentance,  as  required  in  the  Gospel, 
are  absolutely  necessary,  in  the  present  condition  of  man, 
in  order  to  acceptable  oijedience  to  the  divine  law. 
"  Without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God  ;  for  he  that 
cometh  to  God  must  believe  that  he  is,  and  that  he  is  the 
rewarder  of  them  that  diligently  seek  him." — Faith,  as  the 
term  is  used  in  scripture,  denotes  confdence  in  the  moral 
character  of  God,  founded  on  the  belief  we  attach  to  the 
declarations  of  his  word.  It  is  defined,  by  the  Apostle 
Paul,  in  the  eleventh  chapter  of  the  epistle  to  the  He- 
brews, to  be  "  the  confident  expectation  of  things  hoped 
for,"  and  "  the  conviction  of  things  which  are  not  seen."* 
Faith  substantiates  and  realizes  those  objects  which  are 
invisible  to  the  eye  of  sense,  and  which  lie  beyond  the 
resell  of  our  present  comprehension.  It  recognises  the 
existence  and  the  omnipresence  of  an  invisible  Being,  by 
whose  agency  the  visible  operations  of  nature  are  conduc- 

*  Doddridge's  translation  of  Hcb.  xi,  1. 


FAITH   AND   REPENTANCE.  291 

led  ;  and  views  him  as  possessed  of  infinite  wisdom,  pow- 
er, benevolence,  faithfulness,  rectitude,  and  eternal  dura- 
lion.  It  realizes  the  scenes  of  an  invisible  and  eternal 
world — the  destruction  of  the  present  fabric  of  our  globe, 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  the  solemnities  of  the  last 
judgment,  the  new  heavens,  and  the  new  earth,  the  innu- 
merable company  of  angels,  and  the  grandeur  and  felicity 
of  the  heavenly  world.  Tliese  invisible  realities  it  recog- 
nises, on  the  testimony  of  God  exhibited  in  his  word ; 
and  without  a  recognition  of  such  objects,  religion  can 
have  no  existence  in  the  mind. — In  a  particular  manner, 
faith  recognises  the  declarations  of  God  in  relation  to  the 
character  and  the  condition  of  men  as  violators  of  his 
law,  and  as  exposed  to  misery ;  and  the  exhibition  which 
is  made  of  the  way  of  reconciliation,  through  the  media- 
tion of  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  "  set  forth  as  a  propitiation  to 
declare  the  righteousness  of  God  in  the  remission  of  sins." 
The  man  in  whose  heart  the  principle  of  faith  operates, 
convinced  that  he  is  guilty  before  God,  and  exposed  to 
misery  on  account  of  sin,  confides  in  the  declarations  of 
God  respecting  "  the  remission  of  sins  through  the  re- 
demption that  is  in  Christ  Jesus  ;" — he  confides  in  the 
goodness,  mercy,  faithfulness,  and  power  of  God,  which 
secure  the  accomplishment  of  his  promises,  and  the  sup- 
ply of  all  requisite  strength  and  consolation  to  support 
him  amidst  the  dangers  and  afflictions  of  life  ;  he  confides 
in  the  wisdonj  and  excellence  of  those  precepts  which  are 
prescribed  as  the  rule  of  his  conduct,  and  which  are  fitted 
to  guide  him  to  the  regions  of  happiness  ; — and  in  the  ex- 
ercise of  this  confidence,  he  "  adds  to  his  faith,  fortitude 
and  resolution,  knowledge,  temperance,  patience,  godli- 
ness, brotherly  kindness  and  charity;"  and  prosecutes 
with  courage  this  course  of  obedience,  till  at  length  "  an 
entrance  is  abundantly  administered  to  him  into  the  ever- 
lasting kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ." 
But,  without  a  recognition  of  such  objects,  and  an  unsha- 
ken confidence  in  the  declarations  of  God  respecting  them, 
it  is  obviows,  from  the  nature  of  things,  that  we  *'  cannot 
please  God,"  nor  yield  to  him  an  acceptable  and  "rea- 
sonable service." 

In  like  manner,  it  might  be   shown,  that  rei^entance  is 
essentially    requisite    in   order   to   acceptable    obedience. 


292  THE    PHILOSOPHY     OF    RELIGION. 

Sin  is  directly  opposed  to  the  character  of  God,  and  ia  the 
great  nuisance  of  the  moral  universe.  While  the  lovo 
of  it  predominates  in  any  mind,  it  leads  to  every  spe- 
cies of  moral  turpitude  and  depravity ;  and,  consequent- 
ly, completely  unlits  such  a  mind  for  yielding  a  cheer- 
ful obedience  to  the  divine  law.  But  repentance, 
which  consists  in  hatred  of  sin,  and  sorrow  for  having 
committed  it,  naturally  fits  and  prepares  the  mind  for  the 
practice  of  universal  holiness.  It  tends  to  withdraw  the 
soul  from  the  practice  of  sin,  and  warns  it  of  the  danger 
of  turning  again  to  folly.  It  is  the  commencement  of  ev- 
ery course  of  virtuous  conduct,  and  the  avenue  which  ul- 
timately leads  to  solid  peace  and  tranquillity  of  mind.  It 
is  intimately  connected  with  humility  and  self-denial,  and 
is  directly  opposed  to  pride,  vanity,  and  self-gratulation. 
It  must,  therefore,  be  indispensably  requisite  to  prepare 
us  for  conformity  to  the  moral  character  of  God,  for  uni- 
versal obedience  to  his  law,  and  for  the  enjoyment  of  sub- 
stantial and  never-ending  felicity.  Hence  the  importance 
■which  is  attached  to  the  exercise  of  repentance  by  our 
Saviour  and  his  Apostles.  In  connection  v/ith  faith,  it  is 
uniformly  represented  as  the  first  duty  of  a  sinner,  and  the 
commencement  of  the  Christian  life.  Repentance '  was 
the  great  duty  to  which  the  forerunner  of  the  Messiah 
called  the  multitudes  who  flocked  to  his  baptism,  and  on 
which  the  Messiah  himself  expatiated  during  the  period  of 
his  public  ministry.  "  Repent  ye,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  at  hand."  "  Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise 
perish."  And  the  apostles,  in  their  instructions  to  eveiy 
nation,  and  to  every  class  of  men,  laid  down  the  following 
positions  as  the  foundation  of  every  moral  duty.  "  Re- 
pentance towards  God,  and  faith  towards  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ." 

IX.  From  the  preceding  illustrations  w'c  may  learn,  tliat 
no  merit,  m  the  sense  in  which  that  term  is  sometimes 
used,  can  be  attached  to  human  actions  in  the  sight 
of  God  ;  and  that  the  salvation,  or  ultimate  happiness  of 
sinners,  is  the  effect  of  the  grace  or  benevolence  of  God. — 
That  the  good  works  of  men  are  meritorious  in  the  sight 
of  God,  is  a  notion,  as  uupliilosophical  and  absurd,  as  it 
is  impious  and  unscriptural.  Tliey  are  requisite,  and 
indispcnsahhj  requisite,  as  i/ualijications,  or  preparations 


GOOD    WORKS    NOT    MERITORIOUS.  293 

for  tlie    enjoyment  of  felicity,  without  which  the  attain- 
ment of  true  happiness  either  here  or  hereafter,  is  an  abso- 
lute impossibility;  but  the  actions    of  no   created   being, 
not  even  the  sublimest  services  and  adorations  of  the  an- 
gelic hosts,  can  have  the  least  merit  in  the  eyes  of  the  Cre- 
ator.    "  Thy  wickedness  may  hurt  a  man  as  thou  art,  and 
thy  righteousness  may  profit  the  son  of  man  ;"  but    "  if 
thou  sinnest,  what  dost  thou  against   God  ;  or  if  thou  be 
righteous,   what  givest  thou  him  ?  and  what  receiveth   he 
of  thine  hand  ?"*  "   Thy  goodness    extendeth   not   unto 
him,"   and  "  he  that  sinneth   against   him   wrongeth   his 
own  soul." — What  merit  can  there  be  in  the  exercise  of 
love,  and  in  the  cultivation   of  benevolent  affections,  when 
we  consider,  that  these  affections  are  essentially  requisite 
to  our  happiness,  and  that  the  very   exercise  of  them  is  a 
privilege  conferred  by  God,  and  one  of  the  principal  ingre- 
dients of  bliss  ?  What  merit  can  be   attached,  in   the  pre- 
sence of  the  Most  High,   to   the  noblest   services  we  can 
perform,  when  we  reflect,  that  we  derived  all  the  corpore- 
al and   intellectual  faculties  by  which  we   perform  these 
services,  and  all  the  means  by  which  they  are  excited  and 
directed,   from   our  bountiful   Creator  ^    What  merit  can 
there  be  in  obedience  to  his  law,  when  disobedience  must 
infallibly  lead  to  destruction  and  misery  ?  Is  it  considered 
as  meritorious  in  a  traveller,  when  he  is  properly  directed, 
furnished    with  strength  of  body   and  mind,   and  provided 
with  every  necessary  for  his  journey, — to  move  forward  to 
the  place  of  his  wished-for  destination  ?  Our  benevolent 
affections,  and  the  active  services  to  which  they  lead,  may 
be   meritorious  in  the  eyes  of  our  fellow-men,  in  so  far  as 
they  are  the   means  of  contributing  to  their  enjoyment ; 
but  in  the  presence  of  Him  who  sits  on  the  throne  of  the 
universe,  dispensing  blessings  to  all  his  offspring,  we  shall 
always  have  to  acknowledge,  that  "  we  are  unprofitable 
servants."     It  is  probable,  that,  if  the  great  object  of  reli- 
gion were  represented  in  its  native  simplicity,  if  the  nature 
oi  salvation  were  clearly  understood,  and  if  less  were  said 
on  the  subject  of  human  merit  in  sermons,  and  systems  of 
divinity,  the  idea  which  I  am  now  combating,   would  sel- 


Job,  XXXV.  6,  8.     Psalm  xvi.  2,  &c. 
25 


294  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   RELIGION. 

dom  be   entertained  by  any  mind  possessed  of  the  least 
share  of  Christian  knowledge,  or  of  common  sense. 

That  the  eternal  salvation  of  men,  is  the  effect  of  the 
love  and  the  grace  of  God,  is  also  a  necessary  consequence 
from  what  has  been  now  stated.     For  every  power,  capac- 
ity,   and  privilege    we   possess,   was  derived  from  God. 
"  What  have  we  that  we   have  not  received  ?"  Even  our 
very  existence  in  the  world  of  life,  is  an  act  ^f  grace.    We 
exerted  no  power  in  ushering  ourselves  into  existence  : 
We  had  no  control  over  the  events  which  determined  that 
we  should  be   born  in  Britain,  and  not  in  Africa  ;  which 
determined  the  particular  family  with  which  we  should  be 
connected ;  the  education  we  should  receive  ;  the  particu- 
lar objects  towards  which  our  minds  should  be  directed, 
and  the  privileges  we  should  enjoy.     And,  when  we  ar- 
rive at  the  close  of  our  earthly  career,  when  the  spirit  is 
liovering  on  the  verge  of  iife,  and  about  to  take  its  flight 
from  this  mortal  scene,  can  it  direct  its  course,  by  its  own 
energies,   through   the  world   unknown  ?  can   it  wing  its 
way  over  a  region  it  has  never  explored,  to  its  kindred 
spirits  in  the  mansions  of  bliss  1  can  it  furnish  these  man- 
sions with  the  scenes  and  objects  from  which  its  happiness 
is  to  be  derived  ?  can  it  reanimate  the  body  after  it  has 
long  mouldered  in  the  dust  ?  can  it  re-unite  itself  with  its 
long-lost  partner  ?  can  it  transport  the  resurrection-body, 
to  that  distant  world  where  it  is  destined  to  spend  an  end- 
less existence  ?  or  can  it  create  those  scenes  of  glory  and 
magnificence,  and  those  extatic  joys  which  will  fill  it  with 
transport  while  eternity  endures  \  If  it  cannot  be  supposed 
to  accomphsh  such  glorious  objects  by  its  own  inherent 
powers,  then,  it  must  be  indebted  for  every  entertainment 
in  the  future  world  to  the  unbcnmded  and  unmerited  love 
and  mercy  of  God.     To  Him,  therefore,  who  sits  upon  th^ 
throne-  of  the  heavens,  and  to  the  Lamb   who  was  slain 
and  hath  redeemed  us  to  God  by  his  blood,  let  all  praisg, 
honour,  dominion  and  power,  be  ascribed  now  and  forev- 
er.   Amen. 


tHE    PHILOSOPHY     OF    RELIGION.  295 

Having  now  finished  what  I  proposed  in  the  illustration 
of  the  principles  of  love  to  God  and  to  man,  and  of  the 
precepts  of  the  Decalogue, — in  the  following  chapter,  I 
shall  take  a  bird's  eye  view  of  the  moral  state  of  the 
world  ;  and  endeavour  to  ascertain,  to  what  extent  these 
principles  and  laws  have  been  recognised  and  observed  by 
the  inhabitants  of  our  globe. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


A  BRIEF  SURVEY    OF  THE   MORAL  STATE  OF  THE 
WORLD ; 

OR,  AN  EXAMINATION  OF  THE  GENERAL  TRAIN  OF  HUMAN 
ACTIONS,  IN  REIERENCE  TO  ITS  CONFORMITY  WITH  THE 
PRINCIPLES    AND    LAWS    NOW    ILLUSTRATED. 


The  discoveries  of  modern  astronomy  have  led  us  in- 
fallibly to  conclude,  that  the  universe  consists  of  an  im- 
mense number  of  systems  and  worlds  dispersed,  at  immea- 
surable distances  from  each  other,  throughout  the  regions 
of  infinite  space.  When  we  take  into  consideration  the 
Benevolence  of  the  Deity,  and  that  the  happiness  of  the 
intelligent  creation  is  the  great  object  which  his  Wisdom 
and  Omnipotence  are  employed  to  accomplish — it  appears 
highly  probable,  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  whole,  or  at 
least  of  the  greater  part,  of  those  worlds  whose  suns  we 
behold  twinkling  from  afar,  are  in  a  state  of  moral  perfec- 
tion, and  consequently,  in  a  state  of  happiness.  At  any 
rate,  it  is  reasonable  to  conclude,  that  the  exceptions  which 
exist  are  not  numerous.  Perhaps  this  earth  is  the  only 
material  world  where  physical  evil  exists,  where  misery 
prevails,  and  where  moral  order  is  subverted  ;  and  these 
dismal  effects  may  have  been  permitted  to  happen,  under 
the  government  of  God,  in  order  to  exhibit  to  other  intel- 
ligences, a  specimen  of  the  terrible  and  destructive  conse- 
quences of  moral  evil,  as  d  warning  of  the  danger  of  in- 
fringing, in  the  least  degree,  on  those  moral  principles 
which  form  the  bond  of  union  among  the  intelligent  sys- 
tem. 

Could  we  trace  the  series  of  events  which  have  occur- 
red, in  any  one  of  those  happy  worlds,  where  moral  per- 
fection prevails,  ever  since  the  period  when  it  was  re- 
plenished with  inhabitants,  and  the  objects  to  which  their 
physical  and  rational  powers  have  been  directed,  we 
should,    doubtless,    be   highly    delighted    and    enraptured 


SCENES    IN   A    WOKLD    OF    PURITY.  297 

with  the  moral  scenery  which  the  history  of  such  a  world 
would  display.  Its  annals  would  uniformly  record  the 
transactions  of  ^c??<?i'oZc;ice.  We  should  hear  nothing  of 
the  pomp  of  hostile  armies,  of  the  shouts  of  victory,  of 
the  exploits  of  heroes,  of  the  conflagration  of  cities,  of 
the  storming  of  fortifications,  of  the  avarice  of  merchants 
and  courtiers,  of  the  burning  of  heretics,  or  of  the  ambi- 
tion of  princes.  The  train  of  events,  presented  to  our 
view,  would  be  directly  opposed  to  every  object  of  this 
description,  and  to  every  thing  which  forms  a  prominent 
feature  in  the  history  of  mankind.  To  beautify  and  adorn 
the  scenery  of  nature  around  them,  to  extend  their  views 
of  the  operations  of  the  Almighty,  to  explore  the  depths 
of  his  wisdom  and  intelligence,  to  admire  the  exttberance 
of  his  goodness,  to  celebrate,  in  unison,  the  praises  of  the 
"  King  Eternal,"  the  Author  of  all  their  enjoyments,  to 
make  progressive  advances  in  moral  and  intellectual  at- 
tainments, to  circulate  joy  from  heart  to  heart,  to  exert 
their  ingenuity  in  the  invention  of  instruments  by  which 
their  physical  powers  may  be  improved,  and  the  wonders 
of  creation  more  minutely  explored  ;  to  widen  the  range 
of  delightful  contemplation,  to  expand  their  views  of  the 
Divine  perfections,  and  to  increase  the  sum  of  happiness 
among  all  their  fellow-intelligences,  will  doubtless  form  a 
part  of  the  employments  of  the  inhabitants  of  a  world 
where  moral  purity  universally  prevails.  One  circum- 
stance which  may  probably  diversify  the  annals  of  such  a 
world,  and  form  so  many  eras  in  its  history,  may  be,  the 
occasional  visits  of  angelic  or  other  messengers,  from  dis- 
tant regions  of  creation,  to  announce  the  will  of  the  Al- 
mighty on  particular  emergencies,  to  relate  the  progress 
of  new  creations  in  other  parts  of  the  Divine  Empire, 
and  to  convey  intelligence  respecting  the  physical  aspects, 
the  moral  arrangements,  and  the  history  of  other  worlds, 
and  of  other  orders  of  intellectual  beings.  Suck  visits 
and  occasional  intercourses  with  celestial  beings,  would, 
undoubtedly,  have  been  more  frequent  in  our  world,  had 
not  man  rendered  himself  unqualified  for  such  associa- 
tions, by  his  grovelling  affections,  and  by  the  moral  pol- 
lutions with  which  his  character  is  now  stained. 

When  we  turn  our  eyes  from  the  transactions  of  such  a 
world,  to  the  world  in  which  we  live,  how  very  difTerent 
25* 


298  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OP    RELIGION. 

a  scene  is  presented  to  the  view  !  The  history  of  all  na- 
tions embraces  little  more  than 

A  RECORD  OF  THE  OPERATIONS  OF  MALEVOLENCE. 

Every  occurrence  has  been  considered  as  tame  and  in- 
sipid, and  scarcely  worthy  of  being  recorded,  unless  it  has 
been  associated  with  the  confused  noise  of  warriors,  the 
shouts  of  conquerors,  the  plunder  of  provinces,  the  devas- 
tation of  empires,  the  groans  of  mangled  victims,  the  cries 
of  widows  and  orphans,  and  with  garments  rolled  in 
blood.  When  such  malevolent  operations  cease  for  a 
little,  in  any  part  of  the  world,  and  the  tumultuous  pas- 
sions which  produced  them,  subside  into  a  temporary 
calm,  the  historian  is  presented  "wdth  a  blank  in  the  annals 
of  the  human  race  ;  the  short  interlude  of  peace  and  of 
apparent  tranquillity  is  passed  over  as  unworthy  of  no- 
tice, till  the  restless  passions  of  avarice  and  ambition  be 
again  roused  into  fury,  and  a  new  set  of  desperadoes 
arise,  to  carry  slaughter  and  desolation  through  the  na- 
tions. For,  during  the  short  temporary  periods  of  re- 
pose from  the  din  of  war,  which  the  world  has  occasionally 
enjoyed,  the  malignant  passions,  which  were  only  smother- 
ed, but  not  extinguished,  prevented  the  operation  of  the  be- 
nevolent affections  ;  and,  of  course,  no  extensive  plans 
for  the  counteraction  of  evil,  and  the  improvement  of 
mankind,  worthy  of  being  recorded  by  the  annalist  and 
the  historian,  were  carried  into  effect. 

In  order  to  produce  a  definite  impression  of  the  moral 
state  of  the  world,  I  shall  endeavour,  in  this  chapter,  to 
give  a  rapid  sketch  of  the  prominent  dispositions  of  man- 
kind, as  displayed  in  the  general  train  of  human  actions 
— that  we  may  be  enabled  to  form  a  rude  estimate  of  the 
degree  in  which  the  law  of  God  has  been  recognised,  and 
of  the  extent  to  which  its  violation  has  been  carried,  on 
the  great  theatre  of  the  world,  and  in  the  ordinary  trans- 
actions of  general  society. 

I  shall,  in  the  first  place,  take  a  rapid  view  of  the  moral 
state  of  the  world  in  ancient  times,  and  then  take  a  more 
particular  survey  of  the  present  state  of  morals,  amon^ 
savage  and  civilized  nations — in  the  Christian  world — and 
among  the  various  ranks  and  orders  of  society. 


MORALS  OF  THE  ANTEDILUVIANi.         299 

SECTION  I. 

Sate  of  morals  in  the  ancient  world. 

Man  was  originally  formed  after  the  moral  image  of  his 
Maker.  His  understanding  was  quick  and  vigorous  in  its 
perceptions  ;  his  will  subject  to  the  divine  law,  and  to  the 
dictates  of  his  reason  ;  his  passions  serene  and  uncon- 
taminated  with  evil ;  his  affections  dignified  and  pure«; 
his  love  supremely  fixed  upon  his  Creator ;  and  his  joy 
unmingled  with  those  sorrows  which  have  so  long  been 
the  bitter  portion  of  his  degenerate  race.  But  the  pri- 
mogenitor of  the  human  race  did  not  long  continue  in 
the  holy  and  dignified  station  in  which  he  was  placed. 
Though  he  was  placed  in  "  a  garden  of  delights,"  sur- 
rounded with  every  thing  that  was  delicious  to  the  taste 
and  pleasant  to  the  eye,  yet  he  dared  to  violate  a  positive 
command  of  his  Maker,  and  to  stretch  forth  his  impious 
hand  to  pluck  and  to  taste  the  fruit  of  the  forbidden 
tree — a  picture  and  a  prelude  of  the  conduct  of  millions 
of  his  degraded  offspring  who  despise  the  lawful  enjoy- 
ments whifth  lie  within  their  reach,  and  obstinately  rush 
on  forbidden  pleasures,  which  terminate  in  wretched- 
ness and  sorrow.  The  dismal  effects  of  the  depraved  dis- 
positions thus  introduced  among  the  human  species,  soon 
became  apparent.  Cain,  the  first-born  son  of  Adam,  had 
no  sooner  reached  to  the  years  of  maturity,  than  he  gave 
vent  to  his  revengeful  passions,  and  imbrued  his  hands  in 
his  brother's  blood.  And  ever  ^nce  the  perpetration  of 
this  horrid  and  unnatural  deed,  the  earth  has  been 
drenched  with  the  blood  of  thousands  and  of  millipns  o'f 
human  beings,  and  the  stream  of  corruption  haT  flowed 
without  intermission,  and  in  every  direction  around  the 
globe. 

Of  the  state  of  mankind  in  the  ages  before  the  flood, 
the  sacred  history  furnishes  us  with  only  a  few  brief  and 
general  descriptions.  But  those  descriptions,  short  and 
general  as  they  are,  present  to  us  a  most  dreadful  and  re- 
volting picture  of  the  pitch  of  depravity  and  wickedness  to 
which  the  human  race  had  arrived.  We  have  the  testi- 
mony of  Grod  himself  to  assure  us,  that,  within  1600  year« 


300  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

from  the  creation  of  the  world,  "  the  wickedness  of  man 
had  become  great  upon  the  earth — that  the  earth  was  till- 
ed with  violence" — yea,  that  "  every  imagination  of  the 
thoughts  of  man's  heart  was  only  evil  continually," — or, 
as  it  may  more  literally  be  rendered  from  the  Hebrew, 
"  the  whole  imagination,  comprehending  all  the  purposes 
and  desires  of  the  mind,  was  only  evil  from  day  to  day." 
— "  God  looked  upon  the  earth ;  and  behold  it  was  cor- 
rupt ;  for  all  flesh  had  corrupted  their  way  upon  the  earth." 
A  more  comprehensive  summary  of  the  greatness  and  the 
extent  of  human  wickedness  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  con- 
ceive. The  mind  is  left  to  iill  up  the  outline  of  this  hor- 
rid picture  with  every  thing  that  is  degrading  to  the  hu- 
man character,  with  every  thing  that  is  profligate  and 
abominable  in  manners,  with  every  thing  that  is  base, 
false,  deceitful,  licentious  and  profane,  and  with  every- 
thing that  is  horrible  and  destructive  in  war,  and  ruinous 
to  the  interests  of  human  happiness. 

The  description  now  quoted,  contains  the  following  in- 
timations : — 1.  That,  previous  to  the  deluge,  wickedness 
had  become  universal.  It  was  not  merely  the  majority  of 
mankind  that  had  thus  given  unbounded  scope  to  their 
licentious  desires,  while  smaller  societies  were  to  be  found 
in  which  the  worship  of  the  true  God,  and  the  precepts  of 
his  law,  were  observed.  For  "  all  flesh  had  corrupted 
their  ways."  And,  at  this  period  the  world  is  reckoned  to 
have  been  much  more  populous  than  it  has  been  in  any- 
succeeding  age,  and  to  have  contained  at  least  ten  billions 
of  inhabitants,  or  many  thousands  of  times  the  amount  of 
its  present  population.  So  that  universal  wickedness 
must  have  produced  misery  among  human  beings  to  an 
extent  of  which  we  can  form  bo  adequate  conception.  2. 
The  description  implies,  that  every  invention,  and  every 
purpose  and  scheme  devised  both  by  individuals  and  by 
communities,  was  of  a  malevolent  nature.  "  The  imagina- 
tion of  every  man's  heart  was  only  evil  continually."  The 
dreadful  spectacles  of  misery  and  horror  which  the  univer- 
sal prevalence  of  Buch  principles  and  practices  which  then 
existed,  must  have  produced,  are  beyond  the  power  of  hu- 
man imagination  either  to  conceive  or  to  delineate. 
Some  faint  idea,  however,  may  be  formed  of  somo  of  these 
spectacles,  from  the  descriptions  I  haye  already  given  of 


MORALS  OF  THE  ANTEDILUVIANS.         301 

the  effects  which  would  inevitably  follow,  were  the  princi- 
ple o(  benevolence  to  be  eradicated  from  the  mind,  or  were 
any  one  of  the  precepts  of  the  divine  law  to  be  universally 
violated — (see  Ch.  II.  sect.  iv.  and  Ch.  III.  throughout.) 
3.  The  effects  produced  by  this  universal  depravity  are 
forcibly  expressed  in  the  words,  "  The  earth  was  filled 
with  violence."  From  this  declaration,  we  are  necessarily 
led  to  conceive  a  scene  in  which  universal  anarchy  and 
disorder,  devastation  and  wretchedness,  every  where  pre- 
vailed— the  strong  and  powerful  forcibly  seizing  upon  the 
wealth  and  possessions  of  the  weak,  violating  the  persons 
of  the  female  sex,  oppressing  the  poor,  the  widow,  and 
the  fatherless,  overturning  the  established  order  of  families 
and  societies,  plundering  cities,  demolishing  temples  and 
palaces,  desolating  fields,  orchards  and  vineyards,  setting 
fire  to  towns  and  villages,  and  carrying  bloodshed  and  de- 
vastation through  every  land — a  scene  in  which  cruelty, 
injustice  and  outrages  of  every  kind,  obscenity,  revelry, 
riot  and  debauchery  of  every  description,  triumphed  over 
every  principle  of  decency  and  virtue — a  scene  in  which 
the  earth  was  strewed  with  smoking  ruins,  with  the  frag- 
ments of  human  habitations,  with  mangled  human  beings 
in  a  state  of  wretchedness  and  despair,  and  with  the  unbu- 
ried  carcasses  of  the  slain. 

Such  appears  to  have  been  the  state  of  general  society 
at  the  time  when  Noah  was  commanded  to  build  an  ark 
of  refuge — a  state  of  society  which  could  not  have  long 
continued,  but  must  inevitably,  in  the  course  of  a  few  gen- 
erations, have  thinned  the  race  of  mankind,  and  ultimately 
have  extirpated  the  race  of  Adam  from  the  earth,  even  al- 
though the  deluge  had  never  been  poured  upon  the  world. 
Wickedness  appears  to  have  come  to  such  a  height,  that 
no  interposition  of  Providence  could  be  supposed  avail- 
able to  produce  a  reformation  among  mankind,  without  de- 
stroying their  freedom  of  will  ;•  and,  therefore,  it  was  an 
act  of  mercy,  as  well  as  of  judgment,  to  sweep  them  awify 
at  once  by  the  waters  of  the  flood,  after  having  given 
them  warnings  of  their  danger;  in  order  to  convince 
such  obstinate  and  abandoned  characters,  that  ^'  there  is 
a  God  that  judgeth  in  the  earth ;"  and  in  order  to  prevent 
the  misery  which  would  otherwise  have  been  entailed  on 
succeeding  generations. 


302  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

Not  only  the  Sacred,  but  also  the  Pagan  writers,  when 
alluding  to  the  antediluvians,  uniformly  represent  them 
as  abandoned  to  uncleanness,  and  all  kinds  of  wicked- 
ness. Eutychus,  in  his  Annals,  when  speaking  of  the 
posterity  of  Cain,  says,  "  that  they  were  guilty  of  all  man- 
ner of  filthy  crimes  with  one  another,  and,  meeting  togeth- 
er in  public  places  for  that  purpose,  two  or  three  men 
were  concerned  with  the  same  woman  ;  the  ancient  women, 
if  possible,  being  more  lustful  and  brutish  than  the  young. 
Nay,  fathers  lived  promiscuously  with  their  daughters,  and 
the  young  men  with  their  mothers,  so  that  neither  the 
children  could  distinguish  their  own  parents,  nor  the  pa- 
rents know  their  own  children." — Lucian,  a  native  of 
Samosata,  a  town  situated  on  the  Euphrates,  a  spot  where 
memorials  of  the  deluge  were  carefully  preserved,  gives 
the  following  account  of  the  antediluvians  : — "  The  pre- 
sent race  of  mankind,"  says  he,  "  are  different  from  those 
who  first  existed ;  for  those  of  the  antediluvian  world 
were  all  destroyed.  The  present  world  is  peopled  from 
the  sons  of  Deucalion  [or  Noah]  ;  having  increased  to  so 
great  a  number  from  one  person.  In  respect  of  the  for- 
mer brood,  they  were  men  of  violence,  and  lawless  in 
their  dealings.  They  were  contentious,  and  did  ma- 
ny unrighteous  things ;  they  regarded  not  oaths,  nor  ob- 
served the  rights  of  hospitality,  nor  showed  mercy  to 
those  who  sued  for  it.  On  this  account  they  were  doom- 
ed to  destruction  :  and  for  this  purpose  there  was  a  mighty 
eruption  of  waters  from  the  earth,  attended  with  heavy 
showers  from  above  ;  so  that  the  rivers  swelled,  and  the 
sea  overflowed,  till  the  whole  earth  was  covered  with  a 
flood,  and  all  flesh  drowned.  Deucalion  alone  was  pre- 
served to  re-people  the  world.  This  mercy  was  shown  to 
him  on  account  of  his  piety  and  justice.  His  preservation 
was  effected  in  this  manner  : — He  put  all  his  family,  both 
his  sons  and  their  wives,  into  a  vast  ark  which  he  had 
provided,  and  he  went  into  it  himself.  At  the  same  time 
aninuds  of  every  species — boars,  horses,  lions,  serpent^% 
whatever  kind  lived  upon  tlie  face  of  the  earth — followed 
him  by  pairs  ;  all  wliich  he  received  into  the  ark,  and  ex- 
perienced no  evil  from  them ;  for  there  prevailed  a  won- 
derful harmony  throughout,  by  the  immediate  influence  of 


MORALS    OF    THE    ANTEDILUVIANS.  303 

the  Deity.     Thus  were  they  wafted  with  him  as  long  as 
the  flood  endured.'' 

Such  is  the  account  which  Lucian  gives  of  the  antedi- 
luvian world,  and  of  the  preservation  of  the  human  race, 
as  he  received  it  from  the  traditions  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Hierapolis,  in  Syria,  where  the  natives  pretended  to  have 
very  particular  memorials  of  the  deluge.  It  corroborates 
the  facts  stated  in  the  sacred  history,  and  bears  a  very 
near  resemblance  to  the  authentic  account  which  has  been 
transmitted  to  us  by  Moses. — These  facts,  respecting  the 
depravity  of  the  antedilttvians,  present  to  us  a  striking 
example,  and  a  demonstrative  evidence  of  the  dreadful 
effects  to  which  a  general  violation  of  the  divine  law  ne- 
cessarily leads  ;  and  of  the  extensive  confusion  and  mise- 
ry which  are  inevitably  produced,  when  the  law  of  love 
is  set  aside,  and  when  malevolence  exerts,  without  con- 
trol, its  diabolical  energies.  All  order  in  society  is  sub- 
verted, every  species  of  rational  happiness  is  destroyed, 
and  the  existence  of  intelligent  beings,  in  such  »  state, 
becomes  a  curse  to  themselves,  and  to  all  around  them. 
Had  not  this  been  the  case  in  the  primeval, world,  we 
cannot  suppose  that  the  Deity  would  have  exerted  bis 
Omnipotence  in  shattering  the  crust  of  the  t«*raqueous 
globe,  and  burying  its  inhabitants  under  the  waters  of  a 
deluge. 

After  the  deluge  had  subsided,  and  the  race  of  Noah 
had  begun  to  multiply  on  the  earth,  it  was  not  long  before 
the  depravity  of  man  began  to  show  itself  by  its  malig- 
nant effects ;  though  human  wickedness  has  never  arrived 
to  such  a  pitch  as  in  the  times  before  the  flood ;  for  this 
reason,  among  others,  that  the  life  of  man  has  been  re- 
duced to  a  narrow  span,  which  prevents  him  from  carry- 
ing his  malevolent  schemes  to  such  an  extent  as  did  the  in- 
habitants of  the  world  before  the  flood,  whose  lives  were 
prolonged  to  the  period  of  nearly  a  thousand  years.— 
The  lust  of  ambition  soon  began  to  exert  its  baleful  influ- 
ence over  the  mind  ;  and  an  inordinate  desire  after  wealth, 
distinctions,  and  aggrandizement,  paved  the  way  for  the 
establishment  of  despotism,  and  for  encroachments  on  the 
rights  and  the  enjoyments  of  mankind.  Among  the  ho^ 
roes  and  despots  of  antiquity,  Nimrody  the  fpujider  of  the 


30i  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   RELIGIOX. 

Babylonish  empire,  holds  a  distinguished  place.  He  wag 
the  grandson  of  Ham,  the  son  of  Noah,  and  is  the  first 
one  mentioned  in  Scripture  who  appears  to  have  made  in- 
vasions on  the  territories  of  his  neighbours.  Having  dis- 
tinguished himself,  by  driving  from  his  country  the  beasts 
of  prey,  and  by  engaging  in  other  valorous  exploits,  he 
appears  to  have  aspired  after  regal  dignity  and  power,  and 
to  have  assumed  the  reins  of  absolute  government.  He 
was  the  first  that  subverted  the  Patriarchal  government ; 
and  is  supposed  to  have  introduced,  among  his  subjects, 
the  Zabian  idolatry,  or  the  worship  of  the  heavenly  host. 
•'  The  beginning  of  his  kingdom,"  we  are  told,  "  was 
Babylon,  and  Erech,  and  Accad,  and  Calneh,  in  the  land 
of  Shinar."  In  the  footsteps  of  this  proud  and  ambitious 
despot,  has  followed  a  train  of  Alexanders,  Cesars,  Han- 
nibals,  Jenghiz-Kans,  Attilas,  Alaric,  Tamerlanes,  Marl- 
boroughs,  Fredericks,  and  Buonapartes,  who  have  driv- 
en the  plough-share  of  devastation  through  the  world, 
erected  thrones  over  the  graves  of  slaughtered  nations, 
decorated  their  palaces  with  trophies  dyed  in  blood,  and 
made  the  earth  to  resound  with  the  groans  and  shrieks  of 
dying  victims,  and  the  voice  of  mourning,  lamentatioH, 
and  wo. 

To  delineate  all  the  scenes  of  desolation  and  horror 
which  have  be,en  produced  by  such  desperadoes,  and  the 
atrooioHS  crimes  and  immoralities  which  have  followed 
in  their  train,  would  be  to  transcribe  the  whole  records 
of  ancient  and  modern  history,  which  contain  little  else 
than  a  register  of  human  folly,  avarice,  ambition,  and  cru- 
elty ;  and  of  the  daring  villanies  with  which  they  ha^e 
been  stccompanjed.  Even  then,  we  should  acquire  but  a 
very  limited  conception  of  the  extent  of  moral  evil,  and  of 
the  immense  variety  of  shapes  which  it  has  assumed ;  for 
the  oue  tenth  of  the  crimes  of  mankind  has  never  been  re- 
corded ;  and  it  is  to  the  public  transactions  of  only  a  small 
portion  of  the  world  that  the  page  of  the  historian  directs 
our  attention,  I  shall,  therefore,  content  myself  with 
stating  a  few  insulated  facts,  as  specimens  of  the  trdin  of 
action*  which  have  generally  prevailed  in  the  world. 


WARLIKE    DISPOSITIONS.  305 


WARLIKE    DISPOSITIONS    OF    MANKIND. 

War,  as  already  noticed,  has  been  the  delight  and  the 
employment  of  man  in  every  age  ;  and,  mider  this  term 
may  be  included  every  thing  that  is  base  and  execrable  in 
moral  conduct,  every  thing  that  is  subversive  of  the  prin- 
ciple of  benevolence,  every  thing  that  is  destructive  of  hu- 
man enjoyment,  every  thing  that  rouses  the  passions  into 
diabolical  fury,  every  thing  that  adds  to  the  sum  of  human 
wretchedness,  every  thing  that  is  oppressive,  cruel,  and 
mijust,  and  every  thingjthat  is  dreadful  and  appalling  to 
mankind. — As  an  exemplification  of  the  destructive  effects 
of  war,  I  shall,  in  the  first  place,  state  a  few  facts  in  rela- 
tion to  the  Carthaginians. 

Carthage  was  originally  a  small  colony  of  Phenicians, 
who,  about  800  years  before  the  Christian  era,  settled  on 
the  northern  coast  of  Africa,  on  a  small  peninsula,  adja- 
cent to  the  bay  of  Tunis.  Having  [increased  in  wealth 
and  power,  by  means  of  their  extensive  commerce,  like 
most  other  nations,  they  attempted  to  make  inroads  on 
the  territories  of  neighbouring  tribes,  and  to  plunder  them 
of  their  treasures.  By  degrees  they  extended  their  power 
over  all  the  islands  in  the  Mediterranean,  Sicily  only  ex- 
cepted. For  the  entire  conquest  of  this  island,  about  480 
years  before  Christ,  they  made  vast  preparations,  which 
lasted  for  three  years.  Their  army  consisted  of  300,000 
men  ;  their  fleet  was  composed  of  upwards  of  2000  men 
of  war,  and  3000  transports.  With  such  an  immense  ar- 
mament, they  made  no  doubt  of  conquering  the  whole  isl- 
and in  a  single  campaign.  But  they  found  themselves 
miserably  deceived.  Hamilcar,  the  most  experienced 
captain  of  the  age,  sailed  from  Carthage  with  this  formi- 
dable army,  and  invested  the  city  of  Hymera.  The  be- 
sieged were  much  straitened  and  dismayed  by  the  opera- 
tions of  this  powerful  armament  ;  but  Gelon,  the  tyrant  of 
Syracuse,  flew  immediately  to  their  relief,  with  50,000 
foot  and  5000  horse.  A  dreadful  slaughter  ensued  :  an 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  of  the  Carthaginians  were 
killed  in  the  battle  and  pursuit,  and  all  the  rest  taken 
prisoners  ;  so  that  not  a  single  person  escaped  of  this  migh- 
ty army.  Of  the  2000  ships  of  war,  and  the  3000  irans- 
26 


306  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   RELIGION.. 

ports,  of  wliich  the  fleet  consisted,  eight  ships  only,  which 
then  happened  to  be  out  at  sea,  made  their  escape  :  these 
immediately  set  sail  for  Carthage,  but  were  all  cast  away, 
and  every  soul  perished,  except  a  few  who  were  saved  in 
a  small  Ijoat,  and  at  last  reached  Carthage  with  the  dismal 
tidings  of  the  total  loss  of  the  fleet  and  army. — Here  we 
have  presented  to  our  view,  in  one  short  struggle,  the 
entire  destruction  of  more  than  two  hundred  thousaiid  hu- 
man beings,  if  we  take  into  account  the  number  which 
must  necessarily  have  fallen  in  the  Sicilian  army.  And, 
if  we  take  into  consideration  the  many  thousands  of  man- 
gled wretches,  whose  existence,  from  that  moment-,  would 
be  rendered  miserable  ;  the  destruction  of  property  in  the 
besieged  city ;  the  victims  crushed  to  death  amidst  the 
ruins  of  falling  houses  ;  the  cries,  and  shrieks,  and  lamen- 
tations of  women  and  children  ;  the  diseases  and  the  mis- 
ery induced  by  terror  and  alarm,  and  the  loss  of  friends  ; 
the  terrific  and  appalling  spectacle  of  5000  ships  all  on  a 
blaze,  of  ten  thousands  of  burning  and  drowning  wretch- 
es, supplicating  in  vain  for  mercy,  and  the  oaths,  execra- 
tions, and  furious  yells  which  would  be  mingled  with  this 
work  of  destruction,  we  shall  find  it  difficult  to  form  an 
adequate  conception  of  the  miseries  and  horrors  of  such  a 
scene.  And  what  was  the  cause  of  tliis  dreadfwl  slaugh- 
ter and  devastation  ?  That  a  proud  and  opulent  city,  whose 
inhabitants  were  rioting  in  every  species  of  luxury,  might 
gratify  its  ambition,  by  tyrannizing  over  neighbouring  tribes, 
and  by  plundering  them  of  that  w^ealth  of  which  it  did  not 
stand  in  need.  And  this  is  but  one  instance  out  of  ten 
hundred  thousand  of  the  miseries  of  war, — owe  faint  shade 
in  the  picture  of  human  wo  ! 

One  would  have  thought,  that,  after  such  a  signal  loss 
and  discomfiture,  the  Carthaginians  would  have  contented 
themselves  with  their  own  territory,  and  refrained  from 
aggressive  war.  This,  however,  w^as  not  the  case.  Where 
benevolence  is  banished  from  the  mind,  and  revenge  oc- 
cupies its  place  in  the  alTections,  it  will  hurry  unprin- 
cipled men  to  the  most  wild  and  atrocious  actions,  although 
they  should  terminate  in  destruction  to  themselves,  and 
to  all  around  them.  It  was  not  long  after  this  period, 
when  preparations  were  again  made  lor  the  invasion  of 
Sicily,     Hannibal,   the  grandson   of  Hamilcar,  landed  on 


CARTHAGINIAN    WARS.  307 

the  coast  of  Sicily,  and  laid  siege  to  Selinus.  The  be- 
sieged made  a  vigorous  defence  ;  but  at  last  the  city  was 
taken  by  storm,  and  the  inhabitants  were  treated  with  the 
utmost  cruelty.  All  were  massacred  by  the  savage  con- 
querors, except  the  women,  who  fled  to  the  temples  ; — and 
these  escaped,  not  through  the  merciful  dispositions  of  the 
Carthaginians,  but  because  tliey  were  afraid,  that,  if  driven 
to  despair,  they  would  set  fire  to  the  temples,  and  by  that 
means  consume  the  treasure  they  expected  to  find  in  those 
places.  Sixteen  thousand  were  massacred ;  the  women 
and  children,  about  5,000  in  number,  were  carried  away 
captive  ]  the  temples  were  plundered  of  all  their  treasures, 
and  the  city  razed  to  the  ground.  Hymera  was  next  be- 
sieged by  Hannibal,  and  razed  to  its  foundations.  He 
forced  three  thousand  prisoners  to  undergo  all  kinds  of 
ignominy  and  punishments,  and  at  last  murdered  them,  on 
the  very  spot  where  his  grandfather  had  been  killed  by 
Gelon's  cavalry,  to  appease  and  satisfy  his  manes,  by  the 
blood  of  these  unhappy  victims.  Such  is  the  hu7namty 
2iWdi\\e  justice  o{  those  men,  whom  we  are  accustomed  to 
distinguish  by  the  names  of  Patriots  and  Heroes  ! — Elated 
with  these  partial  victories,  the  Carthaginians  meditated 
the  reduction  of  the  whole  of  Sicily.  They  marched 
against  the  city  of  Agrigentum,  and  battered  its  walls  with 
dreadful  fury.  The  besieged  defended  themselves  with 
incredible  resolution.  In  a  sally,  they  burned  all  the  bat- 
tering machines  raised  against  their  city,  and  repulsed  the 
enemy  with  immense  slaughter.  Again  the  Carthaginians 
rallied  their  forces,  beat  down  the  walls  of  the  city,  plun- 
dered it  of  an  immense  booty,  and,  with  their  usual  cruel- 
ly, put  all  its  inhabitants  to  the  sword,  not  excepting  even 
those  who  had  fled  to  the  temples.  The  Caithaginians 
were  soon  after  forced  to  retire  from  Sicily.  Again  they 
renewed  their  expeditions  ;  again  they  were  repulsed  ; 
and  again  they  plunged  into  the  horrors  of  war ;  while 
thousands  and  ten  thousands  were  slaughtered  at  every 
onset ;  men,  women,  and  children  massacred  in  cold  blood, 
and  the  pestilence,  produced  by  the  unburied  carcasses  of 
the  slain,  proved  more  fatal  to  myriads,  than  even  the 
sword  of  the  warrior. 

In  this  manner  did  these  infatuated  mortals  carry  on  a 
scries  of  sanguinary  contests  for   several   centuries,  with 


308  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

the  Sicilians,  Greeks,  and  other  nations  ;  till,  at  length, 
they  dared  to  encounter  the  power,  and  the  formid- 
able forces  of  the  Romans,  and  commenced  those  dread- 
ful and  long-continued  conflicts,  distinguished  in  History 
by  the  name  of  The  Punic  Wars.  The  fn-st  Punic 
war  lasted  twenty-four  years ;  the  second,  seventeen 
years ;  and  the  third,  four  years  and  some  months.  In 
this  last  contest,  the  ploughshare  of  destruction  was  lite- 
rally driven  through  their  devoted  city,  by  the  Romans. 
It  was  delivered  up  to  be  plundered  by  their  soldiers  ;  its 
gold,  silver,  statues,  and  other  treasures,  amounting 
to  4,470,000  pounds  Aveight  of  silver,  were  carried  off  to 
Rome ;  its  towers,  ramparts,  walls,  and  all  the  works 
Avhich  the  Carthaginians  had  raised  in  the  course  of  many 
ages,  were  levelled  with  the  ground.  Fire  was  set  to  the 
edifices  of  this  proud  metropolis,  which  consumed  them 
all,  not  a  single  house  escaping  the  fury  of  the  flames. 
And,  though  the  fire  began  in  all  quarters  at  the  same 
time,  and  burned  with  incredible  violence,  it  continued 
for  seventeen  days  before  all  the  buildings  were  consumed. 
— Thus  perished  Carthage — a  city  which  contained  700, 
000  inhabitants,  and  Avhich  had  waged  so  many  ferocious 
wars  with  neighbouring  nations — a  terrible  example  of  the 
destructive  eflects  produced  by  malevolent  passions,  and 
of  the  retributive  justice  of  the  Governor  of  the  world,-. 
The  destruction  of  human  life  in  the  numerous  wars  in 
which  it  was  engaged,  is  beyond  all  specific  calculation. 
Dunng  the  space  of  sixteen  years,  Hannibal,  the  Cartha- 
ginian general,  plundered  no  less  than  four  hundred 
towns,  and  destroyed  300,000  of  his  enemies  ;  and  we 
may  safely  reckon,  that  nearly  an  equal  number  of  his 
own  men  must  have  been  cut  ofl'  by  the  opposing  armies  ; 
so  that  several  millions  of  hurnan  victims  must  have  been 
sacrificed  in  these  bloody  and  cruel  wars. 

The  following  is  a  summary  statement  of  the  number 
of  human  beings  that  were  slai«  in  several  of  the  battles 
recorded  in  history. — In  the  year  101  before  Christ,  in  au 
engagement  between  Marius,  the  Roman  Consul,  and  the 
Ambrones  and  the  Teutones,  in  Transalpine  Gaul,  there 
were  slain  of  these  barbarians,  besides  what  fell  in  the 
Roman  army,  200,000,  some  historians  say,  290,000.  And 
it  is  related,  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighboyring  comv. 


NUMBERS    SLAIN    IN    WAR.  309 

ti*y  made  leiices  for  vineyards  of  their  bones.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year,  the  Romans,  under  the  command  of  the  same 
general,  slaughtered  140,000  of  the  Cimbri,  and  took 
60,000  prisoners.  In  the  year  105,  B.  C.  the  Romans,  in 
a  single  engagement  with  the  Cimbri  and  the  Teutones, 
lost  upwards  of  80,000  men.  In  the  battle  of  Cannro,  the 
Romans  were  surrounded  by  the  forces  of  Hannibal,  and 
cut  to  pieces.  After  an  engagement  of  only  three  hours, 
the  carnage  became  so  dreadiul,  that  even  the  Carthagi- 
nian general  cried  out,  to  spare  the  conquered.  Above 
40,000  Romans  were  left  dead  on  the  field,  and  six  thou- 
sand of  the  Carthaginian  army.  What  a  dreadful  display 
of  the  rage  and  fury  of  diabolical  passions  must  have  been 
exhibited  on  this  occasion  !  and  what  a  horrible  scene 
must  have  been  presented  on  the  field  of  battle,  when  we 
consider,  that,  in  the  mode  of  ancient  warfare,  the  slain 
were  literally  mangled,  and  cut  to  pieces  ! — In  tlie  battle 
of  Issus,  between  Alexander  and  Darius,  were  slain  110,- 
000  :  in  the  battle  of  Arbela,  two  years  afterwards,  be- 
tween the  same  two  despots,  300,000  ;  in  the  battle  be- 
tween Pyrrhus  and  the  Romans,  25,000  ;  in  the  battle 
between  8cipio  and  Asdrubal,  40,000  ;  in  the  battle 
between  Suetonius  and  Boadicea,  80,000.  In  the  siege 
of  Jerusalem  by  Vespasian,  accoiding  to  the  account  of 
Josephus,  tliere  were  destroyed,  in  the  most  terrible  man- 
ner, 1,100,000  ;  and  there  were  slaughtered  in  Jerusa- 
lem, in  170,  B.  C.  by  Antiochus,  40,000.  At  Cyrene, 
there  were  slain  of  Romans  and  Greeks,  by  the  Jews, 
220,000  ;  in  Egypt  and  Cyprus,  in  the  reign  of  Trajan, 
240,000  ;  and  in  the  reign  of  Adiian,  580,000  Jews. 
After  Julius  Cassar  had  carried  his  arms  into  the  territories 
of  the  Usipetes  in  Germany,  he  defeated  them  widi  such 
slaughter,  that  400,000  are  said  to  have  perished  in  one 
battle.  At  die  defeat  of  Attila,  King  of  the  Huns,  at  Cha- 
lons, there  perished  about  300,000.  In  the  year  631, 
there  were  slain  by  the  Saracens  in  Syria,  60,000  ;  in  the 
invasion  of  Milan  by  the  Goths,  no' less  than  300,000  ; 
and  in  A.  D.  734,  by  the  Saracens  in  Spain,  370,000.  In 
the  battle  of  Fontenay,  were  slaughtered  100,000  ;  in 
the  battle  of  Yermouk,  150,000;  and  in  the  battle  be- 
tween Charles  Martel  and  the  Mahometans,  350,000.  In 
the  battle  of  Muret,  in  A.  D.  1213,  between  the  CathcK 
26* 


310  THE  PHILOSOPHV    OF    REtlQlOS, 

lies  and  the  Albigenses,  were  slain  32,000  ; '  in  the  battle 
of  Cressy,  in  1346,  50,000  ;  in  the  battle  of  Halidon-hill, 
in  1333,  20,000;  in  the  battle  of  Agincourt,  in  1415, 
20,000  ;  in  the  battle  of  Towton,  in  1461,  37,000  ;  in 
the  battle  of  Lepanto,  in  1571,  25,000  ;  at  the  siege  of 
Vienna,  in  1683,  70,000;  and  in  a  battle  in  Persia,  in 
1734,  60,000.* 

The  most  numerous  army  of  which  we  have  any  ac- 
count in  the  annals  of  history,  was  that  of  Xerxes.  Ac- 
cording to  the  statement  of  Rollin,  which  is  founded  on 
the  statements  of  Herodotus,  Isocrates,  and  Plutarch,  this 
army  consisted  of  1,700,000  foot,  80,000  horse,  and 
20,000  men  for  conducting  the  carriages  and  camels.  On 
passing  the  Hellespont,  an  addition  was  made  to  it  from 
other  nations,  of  300,000,  which  made  his  land  forces 
amount  to  2,100,000.  His  fleet  consisted  of  1207  vessels, 
each  carrying  230  men  ;  in  all  277,610  men,  which  was 
augmented  by  the  European  nations,  with  1200  vessels, 
carrying  240,000  men.  Besides  this  fleet,  the  small  gal- 
leys, transport  ships,  &;c.  amounted  to  3000,  containing 
about  240,000  men.  Including  servants,  eunuchs,  women, 
sutlers,  and  others,  who  usually  follow  an  army,  it  is 
reckoned,  that  the  whole  number  of  souls  that  followed 
Xerxes  into  Greece,  amounted  to  5,283,220  ;  which  is 
more  than  the  whole  of  the  male  population  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  above  twenty  years  of  age,  and  near- 
ly triple  the  whole  population  of  Scotland.  After  re- 
maining some  time  in  Greece,  nearly  the  whole  of  this 
immense  army,  along  with  the  fleet,  \vas  routed  and  de- 
stroyed. Mardonius,  one  of  his  ablest  commanders,  with 
an  army  of  300,000,  was  finally  defeated  and  slain  at  the 
battle  of  Platea,  and  only  three  thousand  of  this  vast  ar- 
my, with  difficulty,  escaped  destruction. 

The  destruction  of  human  life  in  the  wars  which  ac- 
companied and  followed  the  incursions  of  the  barbarians, 
who  overthrew  the  Roman  empire,   is  beyond  all  calcula- 


"  *  The  above  statements  are  collected  from  the  facts  stated  in  Rol- 
lin's  Ancient  History,  Millot's  Elements,  IVIavor's  Universal  History, 
the  historical  articles  in  the  Encyclopedia  Britannica,  from  a  list  of 
battles  contained  in  the  "  Pictures  of  War,"  &.c. 


SCENES    OF    HUMAN   DESTRUCTION.  311 

tioii  or  conception.  It  forms  an  era  in  history  most  de- 
grading to  the  human  species.  In  the  war  which  was 
waged  in  Africa,  in  the  days  of  Justinian,  Procopius  re- 
marks, "  It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say,  that  five  niilhons 
perished  by  the  sword,  and  famine,  and  pestilence."  The 
same  author  states  that,  during  the  twenty  years'  war 
which  Justinian  carried  on  with  the  Gothic  conquerors  of 
Italy,  the  loss  of  the  Goths  amounted  to  above  15  rail- 
lions  ;  nor  will  this  appear  incredible,  when  we  find,  that 
in  one  campaign,  50,000  labourers  died  of  hunger.  About 
the  beginning  of  the  13th  century  arose  that  cruel  and 
bloody  tyrant  Jenghiz-Khan.  With  immense  armies, 
some  of  them  amounting  to  more  than  a  million  in  num- 
ber, he  overran  and  subdued  the  kingdom  of  Hya  in  Chi- 
na, Tangut,  Kitay,  Turkestan,  Karazm,  Great .  Buckaria, 
Persia,  and  part  of  India,  committing  the  most  dreadful 
cruelties  and  devastations.  It  is  computed,  that  during 
the  last  22  years  of  his  reign,  no  fewer  than  14,470,000 
persons  were  butchered  by  this  scourge  of  the  human 
race.  He  appeared  like  an  infernal  liend,  breathino-  de- 
struction to  the  nations  of  the  East,  and  the  principle 
which  he  adopted,  after  conquest,  was  ulter  extermmatiorir 
Nearly  about  the  same  period  when  this  monster  was 
ravaging  and  slaughtering  the  eastern  world,  those  mad 
expeditions,  distinguished  by  the  name  of  the  Crusades^ 
were  going  forward  in  the  west.  8ix  millions  of  infatua- 
ted wretches,  raging  with  hatred,  and  thirsting  for  blood, 
assumed  the  image  of  the  cross,  and  marched  in  wild  dis- 
order to  the  confines  of  the  Holy  land,  in  order  to  recover 
the  city  of  Jerusalem  from  the  hands  of  the  infidels.  In 
these  lioly  wars,  as  they  were  impiously  termed,  more  than 
850,000  Europeans  were  sacrificed  before  they  obtained 
possession  of  Nice,  Antioch,  and  Edessa.  At  the  siege  of 
Acre,  300,000  were  slain  ;  and  at  the  taking  of  Jerusa- 
lem, in  1099,  about  seventy  thousand.  For  196  years, 
these  wild  expeditions  continued  in  vogue,  and  were  urg- 
ed forward  by  proclamations  issued  from  the  throne,  and 
by  fanatical  sermons  thundered  from  the  pulpit,  till  seve- 
ral millions  of  deluded  mortals  perished  from  the  earth  ; 
for  by  far  the  greater  part  of  those  who  engaged  in  the 
Crusades,  were  either  slain  or  taken  prisoners.  About 
this  period,   and   several   centuries   before   it,  the   whole 


31*2  THE    PIULOSOPIIY    OF  RELIGION. 

earth  exhibited  Utile  else  tlian  one  great  liekl  of  battle,  in 
which  nations  were  dashing  against  each  other,  conquer- 
ors ravaging  kingdoms,  tyrants  exercising  the  most  horrid 
cruelties ;  superstition  and  revenge  immolating  their  mil- 
lions of  victims  ;  and  tumults,  insurrections,  slaughter,  and 
universal  alarm,  banishing  peace  and  tranquillity  from  the 
world,  and  subverting  the  moral  order  of  society.  "  In 
Europe,  Germany  and  Italy  were  distracted  by  incessant 
contests  between  the  pope  and  the  emperors  ;  the  interior 
of  every  European  kingdom  was  torn  in  pieces  by  the 
contending  ambition  of  the  powerful  barons  ;  in  the  Ma- 
hommedan  empire,  the  caliphs,  sultans,  emirs,  &c.  waged 
continual  war  ;  new  sovereignties  w^ere  daily  arising,  and 
daily  destroyed ;  and  amidst  this  universal  slaughter  and 
devastation,  the  whole  earth  seemed  in  danger  of  being 
laid  waste,  and  the  human  race  to  sufier  a  total  annihila- 
tion."* 

Such  is  a  bird's  eye  viev\r  of  the  destruction  of  the  hu- 
man species,  which  war  has  produced  in  different  periods. 
The  instances  I  have  brought  forward  present  only  a  few 
detached  circumstances  in  the  annals  of  warfare,  and  re- 
late only  to  a  few  limited  periods  in  the  history  of  man  : 
and  yet  in  the  four  instances  above-stated,  we  are  pre- 
sented with  a  scene  of  horror,  which  includes  the  destruc- 
tion of  nearly  50  millions  of  human  beings.  AVhat  a  vast 
and  horrific  picture,  then,  would  be  presented  to  the  eye, 
could  we  take  in  at  one  vi(;w  all  the  scenes  of  slaughter, 
which  have  been  realized  in  every  period,  in  every  nation, 
and  among  every  tribe  !  If  we  take  into  consideration  not 
only  the  number  of  those  who  have  fallen  in  the  lield  of 
battle,  but  of  those  who  have  perished  through  the  natural 
consequences  of  war,  by  the  famine  and  tlie  pestilence, 
which  war  has  produced  ;  by  disease,  fatigue,  terror  and 
melancholy  ;  and  by  the  oppression,  injustice,  and  cruelty 
of  savage  conquerors, — it  will  not,  perhaps,  be  overrating 
the  destruction  of  human  life,  if  we  ailirm,  that  one  tenth 
of  the  human  race  has  been  destroyed  by  the  ravages  of 
war.  And  if  this  estimate  be  admitted,  it  will  follow,  that 
more  ih^w  fourteen  thousand  millions  o{\\.\xm^\\  beings  have 


♦Mavor's  Universal  H^tory,  Hobcrtson's  Charles  V.  &c. 


XtmBERS    SLAlN*   IS    WAU.  313 

been    slaughtered    in   war,    since    the  beginning  of  the 
world — which  is  about  eighteen  times  the  number  of  inhab- 
itants which,  at  the  present,  exist  on  the  globe  ;  or,  in  other 
words,  it  is  equivalent  to  the  destruction  of  the  inhabitants 
of  eighteen  worlds  of  the  same  population  as  ours.*     That 
this  conclusion  is  rather  within  than  beyond  the  bounds 
of  truth,  will  appear,  from  what  has  been  stated  above  re- 
specting the  destruction  of  the  Goths,   in  the  time  of  Jus- 
tinian.    In  the  course  of  20  years,  15  millions  of  persons 
perished  in  the  wars.     Now,  if  the  population  of  the  coun- 
tries of  Europe,  in  which  these  wars  took  place,  did  not 
exceed  60  millions,  the  proportion  of  the  slaughtered  to 
the  whole  population  was   as  one  to  four,  and,  if  20  years 
be  reckoned  as  only  half  the  period  of  a  generation,  the 
proportion  Was  as  o?ie  to  two ;  in  other  words,  at  the  rate 
of  one  half  of  a  whole  generation  in  the  course  of  40 
years.     What  a  horrible  and  tremendous   consideration  ! 
— to  reflect,  that  14,000,000,000  of  beings,  endoAved  with 
intellectual  faculties,  and  furnished  with  bodies  curiously 
organized  by  divine  wisdom — that  the  inhabitants  of  eigh- 
teen worlds  should  have  been  massacred,  mangled,   and 
cut  to  pieces,  by  those  who  were  partakers  of  the   same 
common  nature,  as  if  they  had  been   created  merely  for 
the  work  of  destruction !  Language   is  destitute  of  words 
sufiiciently  strong  to    express  the   emotions  of  the  mind, 
when  it  seriously  contemplates  the  horrible  scene.     And 
how  melancholy  is  it  to  reflect,   that  in  the  present  age, 
which  boasts  of  its    improvements  in  science,  in   civiliza- 
tion, and  in  religion,  neither  reason,  nor  benevolence,  nor 
humanity,  nor   Christianity,  has  yet  availed  to  arrest  the 
progress  of  destroying  armies,  and  to  set  a  mark  of  ignO" 
miny  on  '^  the  people  who  delight  in  war !" 

ATROCITIES    CONNECTED    WITH    WAR. 

However  numerous  may  have  been    the  victims   that 
have  been  sacrificed  in  war,   it  is  not  so  much  the  mere 


*  This  calculation  proceeds  on  the  ground,  that  145  thousand  mil- 
lions of  men  have  existed  since  the  Mosaic  creation.  See  Christian 
Philosopher,  3d  edit.  Art.  Geography, 


314  THE    PIIILOSOPIIV    OF    RELIGION. 

extinction  of  human  life  that  renders  the  scene  of  warfare 
S0  horrible,  as  the  cruelties  wilh  which  it  has  always  been 
accompanied,  and  the  infernal  passions  which  it  has  en- 
gendered and  carried  into  operation.  It  extirpates  every 
principle  of  compassion,  humanity,  and  justice ;  it  blunts 
the  feelings,  and  hardens  the  heart ;  it  invents  instruments 
of  torture,  and  perpetrates,  without  a  blush,  cruelties  re- 
volting to  every  principle  of  virtue  and  benevolence. 

When  Jerusalem  was  taken  by  Antiochus  Epiphanes, 
in  the  year  168,  B.  C.  he  gave  orders  to  one  division  of 
his  army  to  cut  in  pieces  all  who  were  found  in  tlie  tem- 
ple and  synagogues ;  while  another  party,  going  through 
the  streets  of  the  city,  massacred  all  that  came  in  their 
way.  He  next  ordered  the  city  to  be  plundered  and  set 
on  fire  ;  pulled  down  all  their  stately  buildings  ;  caused 
the  walls  to  be  demoUshed,  and  carried  away  captive  ten 
thousand  of  those  who  had  escaped  the  slaughter.  He  set 
up  the  statue  of  Jupiter  Olympus  on  the  altar  of  burnt- 
offerings,  and  all  who  refused  to  come  and  worship  this 
idol  were  either  massacred,  or  put  to  some  cruel  tor- 
tures, till  they  either  complied  or  expired  under  the  hands 
of  the  executioners.  In  the  war  which  the  Carthagini- 
ans waged  with  the  Mercenaries,  Hamilcar,  the  Carthagi- 
nian general,  threw  all  the  prisoners  that  fell  into  his  hands 
to  be  devoured  by  wild  beasts.  Asdrubal,  another  Cartha- 
ginian general,  when  engaged  in  war  against  the  Komans, 
in  revenge  for  a  defeat  he  had  sustained,  brought  all  the 
Roman  prisoners  he  had  taken  during  two  years,  upon  the 
walls,  in  the  sight  of  the  whole  Roman  army.  There  he 
put  them  to  the  most  exquisite  tortures,  putting  out  their 
eyes,  cutting  off  their  noses,  ears,  and  lingers,  legs  and  arms, 
tearing  their  skin  to  pieces  with  iron  rakes  or  harrows  ; 
and  then  threw  them  headlong  from  the  top  of  the  battle- 
ments.* He  was  of  a  temper  remarkably  inhuman,  and  it 
is  said  that  he  even  took  pleasure  in  seeing  some  of  these 
unhappy  men  flayed  alive. — In  the  year  1201,  when  Jen- 
ghiz-Khan  had  reduced  the  rebels  wlio  had  seized  upon 
his  paternal  possessions,  as  a  specimen  of  his  lenity,  he 
caused  seventy .  of  their  chiefs  to  be  thrown  into  as  many 

*  Rollin's  Ancient  History,  Vol.  I. 


ATROCITIES    CONNECTED    WITH    WAR.  315 

cauldrons  of  boiling  water.  The  plan  on  which  this  ty- 
rant conelucted  his  expeditions,  as  already  stated,  was  that 
of  total  extermination.  For  some  time  he  utterly  extir- 
pated the  inhabitants  of  those  places  which  he  conquered, 
designing  to  people  them  anew  with  his  Moguls  ;  and,  in 
consequence  of  this  resolution,  he  would  employ  his  army 
in  beheading  100,000  prisoners  at  once. — Tamerlane,  one 
of  his  successors,  who  followed  in  his  footsteps,  is  said  to 
have  been  more  humane  than  this  cruel  despot.  Histo- 
rians inform  us,  that  "  his  sportive  cruelty  seldom  went 
farther  than  the  pounding  of  three  or  four  thousand  people 
in  large  mortars,  or  building  them  among  bricks  and  mor- 
tar into  a  wall."  If  such  be  the  "  tender  mercies  of  the 
wicked,"  how  dreadful  beyond  description  must  their  cru- 
elties be ! 

We  are  accustomed  to  hear  Alexander  the  Great  eulo- 
gised as  a  virtuous  and  magnanimous  hero  ;  and  even  the 
celebrated  Montesquieu,  in  his  "  Spirit  of  Laws,"  has 
written  a  panegyric  on  his  character.  Yet  we  find  him 
guilty  of  the  most  abominable  vices,  and  perpetrating  the 
most  atrocious  crimes.  At  the  instigation  of  the  strumpet 
Thais,  during  a  drunken  banquet,  he  set  on  fire  the  beauti- 
ful city  of  Persepolis,  and  consumed  it  to  ashes.  Clitus,  one 
of  his  captains,  and  brother  of  Helenice  who  had  nursed 
Alexander,  had  saved  his  life,  at  the  battle  of  the  Granicus, 
at  the  imminent  hazard  of  his  own.  Yet  this  man,  to 
whom  he  was  so  highly  indebted,  he  thrust  through  with 
a  javelin,  at  an  entertainment  to  which  he  had  invited 
him  ;  on  account  of  his  uttering  some  strong  expressions, 
which  were  intended  to  moderate  Alexander's  vanity. 
His  treatment  of  the  Branchidse  furnishes  an  example  of 
the  most  brutal  and  frantic  cruelty  which  history  records. 
These  people  received  Alexander,  while  pursuing  his  con- 
quests, with  the  highest  demonstrations  of  joy,  and  surren- 
dered to  him,  both  themselves  and  their  city.  The  next 
day,  he  commanded  his  phalanx  to  surround  the  city,  and, 
a  signal  being  given,  they  were  ordered  to  plunder  it,  and 
to  put  every  one  of  its  inhabitants  to  the  sword,  which  in- 
human order  was  executed  with  the  same  barbarity  with 
which  it  had  been  given.  All  the  citizens,  at  the  very 
time  they  were  going  to  pay  homage  to  Alexander,  were 
murdered  in  the  streets  and   in   their  houses ;  no   manner 


316  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF     RELIGION. 

of  regard  being  had  to  their  cries  and  tears,  nor  the  least 
distinction  made  of  age  or  sex.  They  even  pulled  up  the 
very  foundations  of  the  walls,  in  order  that  not  the  [least 
traces  of  that  city  might  remain.  And  why  were  these 
ill-fated  citizens  punished  in  so  summary  and  inhuman  a 
manner?  Merely  because  their  forefathers,  upwards  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years  before,  had  delivered  up  to 
Xerxes  the  treasure  of  the  temple  Didymaon,  with  which 
they  had  been  intrusted  !* — When  he  entered  the  city  of 
Tyre,  after  a  siege  of  seven  months,  he  gave  orders  to 
kill  all  the  inhabitants,  except  those  who  had  fled  to  the 
temples,  and  set  fire  to  every  part  of  the  city.  Eight 
thousand  men  were  barbarously  slaughtered ;  and  two 
thousand  more  remaining,  after  the  soldiers  had  been 
glutted  with  slaughter,  he  fixed  two  thousand  crosses 
along  the  sea  shore,  f  and  caused  them  all  to  be  cruci- 
fied. 

War  has  given  rise  to  the  most  shocking  and  unnatural 
crimes,  the  idea  of  which  might  never  otherwise  have 
entered  into  the  human  mind.  Lathyrus,  after  an  en- 
gagement with  Alexander,  king  of  the  Jews,  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  Jordan, — the  same  evening  he  gained 
the  battle,  in  going  to  take  up  his  quarters  in  the  neigh- 
bouring villages,  he  found  them  full  of  w^omen  and  chil- 
dren, and  caused  them  all  to  be  put  to  the  sword,  and  their 
bodies  to  be  cut  to  pieces,  and  put  into  cauldrons  in  order 
to  their  being  dressed,  as  if  he  intended  to  make  his  ar- 
my sup  upon  them.  His  design  was  to  have  it  believed, 
that  his  troops  ate  human  flesh,  to  spread  the  greater  ter- 
ror throughout  the  surrounding  country. J 

Even  under  the  pretext  of  religion,  and  of  the  Chris- 
tian  Religion  too,  the  most  shocking  barbarities  have 
been  committed.  Under  the  pretence  of  vindicating  the 
cause  of  Him  who,  in  the  midst  of  cruel  suflerings  from 
men,  prayed, "  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do,''  the  Crusaders  hurried  forward  towards  Jerusalem, 
wading  through  seas  of  blood.  When  their  banners  were 
lioisted  on  a  principal  eminence  of  Antioch,  they  commenc- 
ed their  butchery   the  sleeping  inhabitants.     The  dignity 


■Rollin's  An«icat  Hist,  f  Ibid.  }  Ibid. 


ATROCITIES    CONNECTED    WITH    WAR.  317 

of  age,  the  helplessness  of  youth,  and  the  beauty  of  the 
weaker  sex,  were  disregarded  by  these  sanctimonious 
savages.  Houses  were  no  sanctuaries ;  and  the  sight  of 
a  mosque  added  new  virulence  to  cruelty.  The  number 
of  Turks  massacred,  on  this  night  of  frantic  fury,  was  at 
least  ten  thousand.  After  every  species  of  habitation,  from 
the  marble  palace  to  the  meanest  hovel,  had  been  con- 
verted into  a  scene  of  slaughter ;  when  the  narrow  streets 
and  the  spacious  squares  were  all  alike  disfigured  with  hu- 
man gore,  and  crowded  with  mangled  carcasses,  then  the 
assassins  turned  robbers,  and  became  as  mercenary  as  thev 
"had  been  merciless.  When  Jerusalem  was  taken  by  these 
furious  fanatics,  they  suffered  none  to  escape  the  slaugh- 
ter: "Yet,  after  they  had  glutted  themselves  with  blood 
and  carnage,  they  immediately  became  devout  pilgrims, 
and  in  religious  transports,  ran  barefooted  to  visit  the  holv 
sepulchre."*  In  what  light  must  that  religion  appear  to 
Eastern  Infidels  which  is  supposed  to  lead  to  the  perpe- 
tration of  such  enormities  ?  And  how  wofully  are  the  mild 
precepts  and  doctrines  of  Christianity  misrepresented,  when 
desperadoes  of  this  description  dare  assume  the  Christian 
name  ! 

Even  thrf)  finer  feelings  of  the  female  sex  have  been 
blunted,  and,  in  many  instances,  quite  extirpated  by  the 
mad  schemes  of  ambition,  and  the  practices  connected 
with  war.  Towards  the  beginning  of  the  thirteeilth  cen- 
tury, a  Queen  of  Hungary  took  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and 
embarked  in  the  mad  expeditions'  of  the  Crusaders,  as  did 
likewise  fifty  thousand  children  and  a  crowd  of  priests  ; 
because,  according  to  the  Scripture,  "  God  has  made  chil- 
dren the  instruments  of  his  glory."f — Cleopatra,  daughter 
of  Ptolemy  Philometer,  in  order  to  gratify  her  restless  am- 
bition of  reigning  alone  and  uncontrolled  in  her  domin- 
ions,  killed  her  son  Seleucus,  with  her  own  hand,  by 
plunging  a  dagger  into  his  breast.  She  had  been  the  wife 
of  three  kings  of  Syria,  and  the  mother  of  four,  and  had 
occasioned  the  death  of  two  of  her  husbands.  She  pre- 
pared a  poisoned  draught  to  destroy  Grypus  another  of  her 
sons ;  but  her  intention  having  been  suspected,  she  was 


MiUot's  Ebmtats  of  Gea,  Mirt.  t  Millot'e  Elem. 

27 


318  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OP    RELIGION, 

compelled  to  swallow  the  deadly  potion  she  had  prepared, 
which  took  immediate  eflect,  and  delivered  the  world 
from  this  female  monster.  The  Carthaginians  were  in 
the  practice  of  offering  human  sacrifices  to  their  god  Sat- 
urn, when  they  were  defeated  in  war,  in  order  to  propitiate 
the  wrath  of  this  deity.  At  first,  children  were  inhuman- 
ly burned,  either  in  a  fiery  furnace,  like  those  in  the  val- 
ley of  Hinnom,  so  frequently  mentioned  in  Scripture,  or 
in  a  flaming  statue  of  iBaturn. — The  cries  of  these  unhap- 
py victims  were  drowned  by  the  uninterrupted  noise  of 
drums  and  trumpets.  Mothers  made  it  a  merit,  and  a 
part  of  their  religion,  to  view  the  barbarous  spectacle  witft 
dry  eyes,  and  without  so  much  as  a  groan  ;  and  if  a  tear 
or  sigh  stole  from  them,  the  sacrifice  was  considered  as 
less  acceptable  to  the  deity.  This  savage  disposition  was 
carried  to  such  excess,  that  even  mothers  -would  endea- 
vour, with  embraces  and  kisses  to  hush  the  cries  of  their 
children,  lest  they  should  anger  the  god.*  When  Car- 
thage was  taken  by  the  Romans,  the  v/ife  of  Asdrubal  the 
Carthaginian  general,  who  had  submitted  to  the  Romans, 
mounted  to  the  upper  part  of  one  of  the  temples  which  had 
been  set  on  fire  ;  and,  placing  herself,  with  her  two  chil- 
dren, in  sight  of  her  husband,  uttered  the  most  bitter  im- 
precations against  him.  "  Base  coward  (said  she)  the 
mean  things  thou  hast  done  to  save  thy  life  shall  not  avail 
theflii ;  thou  shall  die  this  instant,  at  least  in  thy  two  chil- 
dren." Having  thus  spoken,  she  stabbed  both  the  infants 
with  a  dagger,  and  while  they  were  yet  struggling  for 
life,  threw  them  both  from  the  top  of  the  temple,  and  then 
leaped  down  after  them  into  the  flames.f 

Such  are  only  a  few  insulated  pictuies  of  the  atrocities 
of  war,  and  of  the  unnatural  and  infernal  passions  which 
uniformly  follow  in  its  train,  which  may  be  considered  as 
specimens  of  many  thousands  of  similar  instances,  which 
the  records  of  history  furnish  of  the  malignity  and  deprav- 
ity of  mankind.  I  have  selected  my  examples  chiefly 
from  the  history  of  ancient  warfare  :  but  were  Ave  to  search 
the  annals  of  modern  warfare,  and  confine  our  attention 
solely  to  the  battles  of  Alexandria,  of  the  Pyramids,  of  Bo- 


♦  Rollin'B  An.  Hist.  |  Ency.  Brit.  Art.  Carthage. 


ATROCITIES    CONNECTED    WITH    WAR.  319 

rodina,  of  Smolensko,  of  Austerlitz,  of  Leipsic,  of  Jena,  of 
Eylan,  of  Waterloo,  and  other  warlike  events,  which  have 
happened  witliin  the  last  thirty  years,  we  should  meet 
with  atrocities  and  scenes  of  slaughter,  no  less  horrible 
than  those  which  I  have  now  related.  I  shall  content  my- 
self with  stating  only  two  or  three  instances. 

After  the  taking  of  Alexandria  by  Buonaparte,  "  We 
were  under  the  necessity,"  says  the  relator,  "  of  puttJ^^-.g 
the  whole  of  them  to  death  at  the  breach.  But  *he  slaugh- 
ter did  not  cease  with  the  resistance*  The  Turks  and 
inhabitants  lied  to  their  mosques,  peeking  protection  from 
God  and  their  prophet :  snd  then,  men  and  women,  old 
and  youngs  and  infants  at  the  breast,  were  slaughtered. 
This  butchery  continued  for  four  hours ;  after  which  the 
"remaining  part  of  the  inhabitants  were  much  astonished  at 
not  having  their  throats  cut."  Be  it  remembered,  that 
all  this  bloodshed  was  premeditated.  "  We  might  have 
spared  the  men  whom  we  lost,"  says  General  Boyer, 
"  by  only  summoning  the  town ;  but  it  was  necessary  to 
begin  by  confounding  our  enemy."*  After  the  battle  of 
the  Pyramids,  it  is  remarked  by  an  eye-witness,  that 
*'  the  whole  way  through  the  desart,  was  tracked  v/ith 
the  bones  and  bodies  of  men  and  animals,  who  had  per- 
ished in  these  dreadful  wastes. — In  order  to  warm  them- 
selves at  night,  they  gathered  together  the  dry  bones  and 
bodies  of  the  dead,  which  the  vultures  had  spared,  and 
it  was  by  afire  composed  of  this  fuel  that  Buonaparte  lay 
down  to  sleep  in  the  desart  /"f  A  more  revolting  and  in- 
fernal scene  it  is  scarcely  possible  for  the  imagination  to 
depict. 

Miot  gives  the  following  description  in  relation  to  a 
scene  at  Jaffa  : — "  The  soldier  abandons  himself  to  all  the 
fury  which  an  assault  authorizes.  He  strikes,  he  slays, 
nothing  can  impede  him.  All  the  horrors  which  accom- 
pany the  capture  of  a  town  by  storm,  are  repeated  in  eveiy 
street,  in  every  house.  You  hear  the  cries  of  violated  fe- 
males calling  in  vain  for  help  to  those  relatives  whom  they 
are  butchering.  No  asylum  is  respected.  The  blood 
streams  on  every  side  ;  at  every  step  you  meet  with  human 


♦  Miot's  Memoirs.         f  I'^^i'^* 


3S0 


THE    PHILOSOPHY   OF   RELIGION. 


bcmgs  groaning  and  expiring,  &c."--Sir  Robert  Wilson, 
when  describing  the  campaigns  in  Poland  relates,  that 
*' the  ground  between  the  wood,  and  the  Russian  batte- 
ries, about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  wasc  sheet  of  naked  hnman 
bodies,  which  friends  and  foes  had  during  the  night  mutu- 
ally stripped,  not  leaving  the  worst  rag  upon  them,  although 
numbers  of  these  bodies  still  rcfaincd  co?iscious?icss  o(  iheir 
8iu:ation.  It  was  a  sight  which  the  eye  loathed,  but  from 
which  it  cCyld  not  remove." — In  Labaume's  "  Narrative 
of  the  Campaign  in  Russia,"  we  are  presented  with  the 
most  horrible  details  fif  palaces,  churches,  and  streets,  en- 
veloped in  flames, — houses  tuniblir.g  into  rnins, — hundreds 
of  blackened  carcasses  of  the  wrelcihed  inhabitants,  whom 
the  fire  had  consumed,  blended  with  the  fragments,— hos- 
pitals containing  20,000  wounded  Russians  on  fire,  and 
consuming  the  miserable  victims, — numbers  of  half-burn- 
ed wretches  crawling  among  the  sm.oking  ruins, — females 
violated  and  massacred, — i)arents  and  children  half  naked, 
shivering  with  cold,  flying  in  consternation  with  the  wrecks 
of  their  half-consumed  furniture, — horses  falling  in  thous- 
ands, and  wTithing  in  the  agonies  of  death, — the  fragments 
of  carriages,  muskets,  helmets,  breastplates,  portmanteaus, 
and  garments  strewed  in  every  direction, — roads  covered 
for  miles  with  thousands  of  the  dying  and  the  dead  heaped 
one  upon  another,  and  sv/imming  in  blood, — and  these 
dreadful  scenes  rendered  still  more  horrific  by  the  shrieks 
of  young  females,  of  mothers  and  children,  and  the  pierc- 
ing cries  of  the  wounded  and  the  dying,  invoking  death 
to  put  an  end  to  their  agonies. 

But  I  will  not  dwell  longer  on  such  revolting  details. 
It  is  probable,  that  the  feelings  of  some  of  my  readers  have 
been  harrowed  up  by  the  descriptions  already  given,  and 
that  they  have  turned  away  their  eyes  in  disgust  from  such 
spectacles  of  depravity  and  horror.  Every  mind  susceptible 
of  virtuous  emotions,  and  of  the  common  feelings  of  human- 
ity, must,  indeed,  feel  pained  and  even  agonized,  when  it 
reflects  on  the  depravity  of  mankind,  and  on  the  atrocious 
crimes  they  are  capable  of  committing,  and  have  actually 
perpetrated.  A  serious  retrospect  of  the  moral  state  of  the 
world  in  past  ages,  is  calculated  to  excite  emotions,  similar 
to  those  which  overpowered  the  mourning  prophet  when 
be  exclaimed,  "  O  tliat   my  head  were  waters,  and  mine 


MORAL    REFLECTIONS. 


321 


eyes  a  fountain  of  tears,  that  I  might  weep  day  and  night, 
for  the  slain  of  the  daughters  of  my  people  !"  But,  however 
painful  the  sight,  we  ought  not  to  turn  away  our  eyes,  witii 
fastidious  affectation,  from  the  spectacles  of  misery  and  de- 
vastation which  the  authentic  records  of  history  present  be- 
fore us.  They  form  traits  in  the  character  of  man,  which 
ought  to  be  contemplated, — they  are  facts  in  the  history  of 
mankind,  and  not  the  mere  pictures  of  fancy  which  are 
exhibited  in  poetry,  in  novels,  and  romances, — facts  which 
forcibly  exemplify  the  operation  of  the  malevolent  princi- 
ple, and  from  which  we  ought  to  deduce  important  in- 
structions, in  reference  to  the  evil  of  sin,  and  the  malig- 
nancy of  pride,  covetousness,  ambition,  and  revenge. 
We  thiak  nothing,  in  the  common  intercourse  of  life,  of 
indulging  a  selfish  disposition,  of  feeling  proud  and  in- 
dignant at  a  real  or  supposed  affront,  of  looking  with  a 
covetous  eye  at  the  possessions  of  our  neighbours,  of  view- 
ing the  success  and  prosperity  of  our  rivals  with  discori- 
tentment  and  jealousy,  or  of  feeling  a  secret  satisfaction 
at  the  distress  or  humiliation  of  our  enemies  ;  and  we 
seldom  reflect  on  the  malignant  effects  which  such  pas- 
sions and  dispositions  would  produce,  were  they  suffered 
to  rage  without  contiol.  But,  in  tlie  scenes  and  conten- 
tions of  warfare  which  have  been  realized  on  the  great 
theatre  of  the  world,  we  contemplate  the  nature  and  ef- 
fects of  such  malignant  dispositions  in  their  true  light  ; 
we  perceive  the  ultimate  tendency  of  every  malevolent 
affection,  when  no  physical  obstruction  impedes  its  pro- 
gress ;  we  discern  that  it  is  only  the  same  dispositijons 
which  we  daily  indulge,  operating  on  a  more  extensive 
scale ;  and  we  learn  the  necessity  of  mortifying  such  dis- 
positions, and  counteracting  their  influence,  if  we  ej^ect 
to  enjoy  substantial  felicity  either  here  or  hereafter  ;  and 
if  we  wish  to  see  the  world  restored  to  order,  to  happiness 
and  repose. 

I  shall  only  observe  farther  on  this  part  of  my  subject, 
that,  besides  the  atrocities  already  noticed,  war  has  beea 
the  nurse  of  every  vicious  disposition^  and  of  eveiy  immo- 
ral practice.  The  Carthaginians,  who  were  almost  incee- 
eantly  engaged  in  war,  were  knavish,  vicious,  cruel  axyi 
superstitious  ;  distinguished  for  craft  and  cunning,  lying 
and  kypocrisy,  and  for  the  basest  frauds  and  the  moet  pe.r> 
21* 


322  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   RELIGION. 

iidious  actions.  The  Goths  and  Vandals  are  uniformly 
characterized,  as  not  only  barbarous  and  cruel,  but  ava- 
ricious, perfidious,  and  disregardful  of  the  most  solemn 
promises.  It  was  ever  a  sufficient  reason  for  them  to 
make  an  attack,  that  they  thought  their  enemies  could  not 
resist  them.  Their  only  reason  for  making  peace,  or  for 
keeping  it,  was  because  their  enemies  were  too  strong  ;  and 
their  only  reason  for  committing  the  most  horrible  massacres-, 
rapes,  and  all  manner  of  crimes,  was  because  they  had  gained 
a  victory.  The  Greeks  and  Romans,  it  is  well  known,  not- 
withstanding their  superior  civilization,  were  distinguished 
i*or  the  most  degrading  and  immoral  practices.  They 
gloried  in  being  proud,  haughty,  and  revengeful  ;  and 
even  their  amusements  were  characterized  by  a  spirit  of 
ferocity,  and  by  the  barbarisms  of  war. — It  is  almost 
Moedless  to  say  that  war  blunts  the  finer  feelings  of  hu- 
manity, and  engenders  a  spirit  of  selfishness,  and  of  in- 
difference even  towards  friends  and  companions.  Of  this 
many  shocking  instances  could  be  given. 

Miot,  in  his  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  Eg>^pt,  relates  the 
case  of  a  soldier  who  was  seized  with  the  plague,  and 
with  the  delirium  which  sometimes  accompanies  the  dis- 
ease. He  took  up  his  knapsack,  upon  which  his  head  was 
resting,  and,  placing  it  upon  his  shoulders,  made  an  effort 
to  rise,  and  to  follow  the  army.  The  venom  of  the 
dreadful  malady  deprived  him  of  strength,  and  after  three 
steps,  he  fell  again  upon  the  sand,  headlong.  The  fall 
increased  his  terror  of  being  left  by  the  regiment,  and  he 
rose  a  second  ti'me,  but  with  no  better  fortune.  In  his 
third  effort,  he  sunk,  and,  falling  near  the  sea,  remained 
upon  that  spot  which  fate  had  destined  for  his  grave. 
The  sight  of  this  soldier  was  frightful  :  the  disorder  which 
reigned  in  his  senseless  speech — his  figure,  which  repre- 
sented whatever  is  mournful — his  eyes  staring  and  fixed 
— his  clothes  in  rags — presented  whatever  is  most  hide- 
ous in  death.  The  reader  may  perhaps  believe  that  his 
comrades  would  be  concerned  for  him  ;  that  they  would 
stop  to  help  him  ;  that  they  would  hasten  to  support  him, 
and  direct  his  tottering  steps.  Far  from  it :  the  poor 
wretch  was  only  an  object  of  horror  and  derision.  They 
ran  from  him,  and  they  burst  into  loud  lavghter  at  his  mo- 
tions, which  resembled  those  of  a  drunken  man.  "  He 
has  got  his  accoimt,**  cried  one  ;    "  He   will  not  marck 


IMMORALITIES    CONNECTED    WITH    WAR.  323 

far,"  said  another ;  and,  when  the  wretch  fell  for  the  last 
time,  some  of  them  added,  "  See,  he  has  taken  up  his 
quarters  !"  This  terrible  truth,  says  the  narrator,  which 
I  cannot  help  repeating,  must  be  acknowledged — Indiffe- 
rence and  selfishness  are  the  predominant  feelings  of  an  army. 

Rocca,  in  his  "Memoirs  of  the  War  m  Spain,"  re- 
marks, "  The  habit  of  danger  made  us  look  upon  death 
as  one  of  the  most  ordinary  circumstances  of  life  ;  when 
our  comrades  had  once  ceased  to  live,  the  indifference 
which  was  shown  them  amounted  almost  to  irony.  When 
the  soldiers,  as  they  passed  by,  recognized  one  of  their 
companions  stretched  among  the  dead,  they  just  said, 
'  He  is  in  want  of  nothing,  he  will  not  have  his  horse  to 
abuse  again,  he  has  got  drunk  for  the  last  time,'  or  some- 
thing similar,  which  only  worked,  in  the  speaker,  a  stoical 
contempt  of  existence.  Such  were  the  funeral  orations 
pronounced  in  honour  of  those  who  fell  in  our  battles." — 
Simpson,  in  his  "  Visit  to  Flanders,"  in  1815,  remarks, 
"  Nothing  is  more  frightful  than  the  want  of  feeling  which 
characterizes  the  French  soldiery.  Their  prisoners  who 
were  lying  wounded  in  the  hospitals  of  Antwerp,  were 
often  seen  mimicking  the  contortions  of  countenance  which 
were  produced  hy  the  agonies  of  deaths  in  one  of  their  own 
comrades  in  the  next  bed.  There  is  no  curse  to  be  e®m- 
pared  with  the  power  of  fiends  like  these." 

Thus  it  appears,  that  wars  have  prevailed  in  every  pe- 
riod, during  the  ages  that  are  past,  and  have  almost  ex- 
tirpated the  principle  of  benevolence  from  the  world ;  and, 
therefore,  it  is  obvious,  that,  before  the  prevailing  propen- 
sity to  warfare  be  counteracted  and  destroyed,  the  happi- 
ness which  flows  from  the  operation  of  the  benevolent  af- 
fections cannot  be  enjoyed  by  mankind  at  large.  To 
counteract  this  irrational  and  most  deplorable  propensity, 
by  every  energetic  mean  which  reason,  humanity,  aiwl 
Christianity  can  suggest,  must  be  the  duty  of  every  one 
who  is  desirous  to  promote  the  present  and  everlasting 
happiness  of  his  species.* 


*  The  Author  intended,  had  his  limits  permitted,  to  state  some  addi- 
tional considerations  to  show  the  folly  and  wickedness  of  war.  In 
tho  mean  time,  he  refers  his  readers  to  '<  Letters  addressed  to  Caleb 
Strong,  Esq."  vrhich  contain  a  series  of  energetic  and  impreasivc  rear 


324  TBE    TBaOSOrUY     OF   RELIGIOK. 


SECTION  II. 


STATE    OF    K0RAL8    IN    MODERN    1IME8. 

Moral  state  of  Savage  nations. 

I  shall  now  take  a  very  brief  survey  of  the  state  of  mor- 
als in  modern  times,  and  of  the  prevailing  dispositions 
which  are  displayed  by  the  existing  inhabitants  of  our 
globe.  Were  1  to  enter  into  those  minute  and  circum- 
gtantial  details  ^vhich  the  illustration  of  this  subject  would 
require,  several  volumes  Mould  be  filled  with  the  detail  of 
facts,  and  with  the  sketches  of  moral  scenery  which  might 
be  brought  forward.  And  such  a  work,  if  judiciously  ex- 
ecuted, might  be  rendered  highly  interesting,  and  might 
produce  a  variety  of  benignant  effects  both  on  Christian 
and  on  general  society.  But  the  narrow  limits  within 
which  the  present  work  must  be  comprised,  compels  me 
to  confine  my  attention  to  a  few  prominent  features  in  the 
characters  of  mankind,  and  to  a  few  insulated  facts  by 
which  they  may  be  illuslrattd. — I  shall  consider,  in  the 
first  place,  some  of  the 

Prominent  dispositions  which  appear  among  Savage  arkd 
half-civilized  nations. 

It  is  not  to  be  disputed,  that  numerous  individuals 
among  the  imcivilized  tribes  of  mankind,  have  occasional- 
ly displayed  the  exercise  of  many  of  the  social  virtues, — 
that  they  have  been  brave  and  magnanimous,  faithful  to 
their  promises,  strong  in  their  attachments,  and  generous 
and  affectionate  to  their  friends  and  relatives.  But  their 
virtues,  for  the  most  part,  proceed  from  a  principle  of  sel- 


Bonings  on  the  subject. — "  Ficturcs  of  War,"  by  Irenicus ;  and  a 
duodecimo  volume,  lately  published,  entitled,  "  An  Inquiry  into  tba 
aocordancy  of  War  with  the  principles  ol"  Christianity,"  &♦. 


DISPOSITIONS    or    SAVAGE    NATIONS. 


325 


fishness,  and  are  confined  to  the  clan  or  tribe  to  which 
they  belong.  Towards  their  enemias,  and  towards  all 
who  have  injured  them  in  the  slightest  degree,  they  al- 
most uniformly  display  cruel,  perhdious,  and  revengeful 
dispositions.  The  following  facts  and  descriptions,  se- 
lected from  the  authentic  records  of  voyagers  and  travel- 
lers, will  tend  to  corroborate  these  positions. 

The  most  prominent  feature  which  appears  in  the  char- 
acter of  savage  nations,  is,  their  disposition  for  war^  and 
to  inflict  revenge  for  real  or  supposed  injuries.  With  re- 
spect to  the  North  American  Indians,  it  is  the  uniform 
description  given  of  them  by  all  travellers,  that,  if  we 
except  hunting,  war  is  the  only  employment  of  the  men^ 
and  every  other  concern  is  left  to  the  women.  Their 
most  common  motive  for  entering  into  war,  is,  either  to 
revenge  themselves  for  the  death  of  some  lost  friends,  or 
to  acquire  prisoners,  who  may  assist  them  in  their  hunt- 
ing, and  whom  they  adopt  into  their  society.  In  these 
wars,  they  are  cruel  and  savage,  to  en  incredible  degree. 
They  enter,  unawares,  the  villages  of  their  foes,  and, 
while  the  flower  of  the  nation  are  engaged  in  hunting, 
massacre  all  the  children,  w^omen,  and  helpless  old 
men,  or  make  prisoners  of  as  many  as  they  can  manage. 
But  when  the  enemy  is  apprised  of  their  design,  and 
coming  on  in  arms  against  them,  they  throw  themselves 
flat  on  the  ground,  among  the  withered  herbs  and  leaves, 
which  their  faces  are  painted  to  resemble.  They  then 
allow  a  part  to  pass  unmolested  ;  when,  all  at  once,  with 
a  tremendous  shout,  rising  up  from  their  ambush,  they 
pour  a  storm  of  rnusket-balls  on  their  foes.  If  the  force 
on  each  side  continues  nearly  equal,  the  fierce  spirits  of 
these  savages,  inflamed  by  the  loss  of  friends,  can  no  lon- 
ger be  restrained.  They  abandon  their  distant  war,  they 
rush  upon  one  another  with  clubs  and  hatchets  in  their 
hands,  magnifying  their  own  courage,  and  insulting  their 
enemies.  A  cruel  combat  ensues;  death  appears  in  a 
thousand  hideous  forms,  which  would  congeal  the  blood 
of  civilized  nations  to  behold,  but  which  rouse  the  fury 
of  these  savages.  They  trample,  they  insult  over  the 
dead  bodies,  tearing  the  scalp  from  the  head,  wallowing 
in  theii  Wood  like  wild  beasts,  and  sometimes  devouring 
dwir  flesh.     The  flame  rages  on  till  it  meets  with  no  r»- 


526  THE    PHILOSOPHV     OF     RELIGION. 

sistance  ;  then  the  prisoners  are  secured,  whose  fate  is  a 
thousand  times  more  dreadful  than  theirs  who  have  died 
in  the  field.  The  conquerors  set  up  a  hideous  howling, 
to  lament  the  friends  they  have  lost.  They  approach  to 
their  own  village;  the  women,  with  frightiul  shrieks, 
come  out  to  mourn  their  dead  brothers,  or  their  husbands. 
An  Orator  proclaims  aloud  a  circumstantial  account  of  ev- 
ery particular  of  the  expedition  ;  and  as  he  mentions  the 
names  of  those  who  have  fallen,  the  shrieks  of  the  women 
are  redoubled.  The  last  ceremony  is,  the  proclamation 
of  victory  :  each  individual  then  forgets  his  private  misfor- 
tunes, ami  joins  in  the  triumph  of  his  nation  ;  all  tears 
are  wiped  from  their  eyes,  and,  by  an  unaccountable  tran- 
sition, they  pass  in  a  moment  from  the  bitterness  of  sor- 
row, to  an  extravagance  of  joy.* 

As  they  feel  nothing  but  revenge  for  the  enemies  of 
their  nation,  their  prisoners  aie  treated  with  cruelty  in  the 
extreme.  The  cruelties  inflicted  on  those  prisoners  who 
are  doomed  to  death,  are  too  shocking  and  horrible  to  be 
exhibited  in  detail.  One  plucks  out  the  nails  of  the  pri- 
soner by  the  roots ;  another  takes  a  finger  into  his  mouth, 
and  tears  off  the  flesh  with  his  teeth  ;  a  third  thrusts  the 
finger,  mangled  as  it  is,  into  the  bowl  of  a  pipe  made  red 
hot,  which  he  smokes  like  tobacco :  they  then  pound 
his  toes  and  fingers  to  pieces  between  two  stones  ;  they 
apply  red  hot  irons  to  every  part  of  his  mangled  body  : 
they  pull  off  his  flesh,  thus  mangled  and  roasted,  and  de- 
vour it  with  greediness  ; — and  thus  they  continue  for  sev- 
eral hours,  and  sometimes  for  a  whole  day,  till  they  pen- 
etrate to  the  vital  parts,  and  completely  exhaust  the 
springs  of  life.  Even  the  women,  forgetting  the  human, 
as  well  as  the  female  nature,  and  transformed  into  some- 
thing worse  than  furies,  frequently  outdo  the  men  in  this 
scene  of  horror  ;  while  the  principal  persons  of  the  coun- 
try sit  round  the  stake  to  which  the  prisoner  is  fixed, 
smoking,  and  looking  on  without  the  least  emotion.  What 
is  most  remarkable,  the  prisoner  himself  endeavours  to 
brave  his  torments  with  a  stoical  apathy.  "  1  do  not  fear 
death,  (he  exclaims  in   the    face   of  his  tormentors,)    nor 


♦  See  Ency.  Brit.  Art.  ^fimerica. 


DISPOSITIONS    OF    SAVAGE    NATIONS.  327 

any  kind  of  tortures  ;  those  that  fear  them  are  cowards, 
they  are  less  than  women.  May  my  enemies  be  confoun- 
ded with  despair  and  rage  !  Oh,  that  I  could  devour  them, 
and  drink  their  blood  to  the  last  drop  !" 

Such  is  a  faint  picture  of  the  ferocious  dispositions  of 
the  Indians  of  America,  which,  with  a  few  slight  modifi- 
cations, will  apply  to  almost  the  whole  of  the  original  na- 
tives of  that  vast  continent.  Instead  of  the  exercise  of 
benevolent  affections,  and  of  forgiving  dispositions  ;  instead 
of  humane  feelings,  and  compassion  for  the  sufferings  of 
fellow-mortals,  we  here  behold  them  transported  into 
an  extravagance  of  joy,  over  the  sufferings  they  had  pro- 
duced, the  carnage  they  had  created,  the  children  whom 
they  had  deprived  of  their  parents,  and  the  widows 
whose  husbands  they  had  mangled  and  slain ;  because 
they  had  glutted  their  revenge,  and  obtained  a  victory. 
Nothing  can  appear  more  directly  opposed  to  the  pre- 
cepts of  Christ,  and  to  the  benevolence  of  heaven. 

U,  from  America,  we  cross  the  Atlantic,  and  land  on 
the  shores  of  Africa,  we  shall  find  the  existing  inhabi- 
tants of  that  continent  displaying  dispositions  no  less 
cruel  and  ferocious. — Bosman  relates  the  following  in- 
stances of  cruelties  practised  by  the  Adomese  Negroes, 
inhabiting  the  banks  of  the  Praa  or  Chamah  river. 

"  Anqua,    the    king,   having  in   an  engagement   taken 
five  of  his  principal  Antese  enemies  prisoners,  he  \vound- 
ed  them  all  over ;  after  which,  with  a   more   than   brutal 
fury,  he    satiated,   though  not    tired  himself,   by  sucking 
their  blood  at  their  gaping  wounds  ;  but,  bearing  a  more 
than  ordinary  grudge    against  one   of  them,  he    caused 
him  to  be  laid   bound  at   his    feet,   and  his    body   to    be 
pierced  with  hot  irons,   gathering   his  blood  that   issued 
from  him  in  a  vessel,    one    half  of  which  he   drank,    and 
offered  up  the  rest  to  his  god.     On  another  occasion,  he 
put  to  death  one  of  his  wives  and  a  slave,  drinking  their 
blood  also,  as  was  his  usual  practice  with  his  enemies."* 
— Dispositions  and  practices  no  less  abominable,  are  regu- 
larly  exhibited   in    the   kingdom   of  Dahomy,    near  the 
Uulph  of  Guinea.     An  immolation  of  human  victims,  for 


*  Dupuis'  Journal  in  Ashantee. 


328  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

the  purpose  of  watering  the  graves  of  the  king's  ances- 
tors, and  of  supplying  them  with  servants  of  various  de- 
scriptions in  the  other  world,  takes  place  every  year,  at  a 
grand  festival  which  is  held  generally  in  April  and  May, 
about  the  period,  possibly,  when  the  Bible  and  Mission- 
ary Societies  of  this  country  are  holding  their  anniversa- 
ries. The  victims  are  generally  prisoners  of  war,  reserv- 
ed for  the  purpose  ;  but,  should  there  be  lack  of  these, 
the  number  (betwixt  sixty  and  seventy)  is  made  up  from 
the  most  convenient  of  his  own  subjects.  The  immola- 
tion of  victims  is  not  confined  to  this  particular  period  ; 
for  at  any  time,  should  it  be  necessary  to  send  an  account 
to  his  forefathers  of  any  remarkable  event,  the  king 
despatches  a  courier  to  the  shades,  by  delivering  a  mes- 
sage to  whoever  may  happen  to  be  near  him,  and  then 
ordering  his  head  to  be  chopped  off  immediately.  It  is 
considered  an  honour  where  his  majesty  personally  conde- 
scends to  become  the  executioner  in  these  cases ;  an 
office  in  which  the  king  prides  himself  in  being  expert. 
The  governor  was  present  on  one  occasion,  when  a  poor 
fellow,  whose  fear  of  death  outweighing  the  sense  of  the 
honour  conferred  upon  him,  on  being  desired  to  carry  some 
message  to  his  father,  hiunbly  declared  on  his  knees,  that 
he  was  unacquainted  with  the  way.  On  which  the  ty- 
rant vociferated,  "  I'll  show  you  the  way,"  and,  with  one 
blow,  made  his  head  fly  many  yards  from  his  body,  highly 
indignant  that  there  should  have  been  the  least  expres- 
sion of  reluctance.*  On  the  tljatchcd  roofs  of  the  guard- 
houses which  surround  the  palace  of  this  tyrant,  are 
ranged,  on  wooden  stakes,  numbers  of  human  skulls  ;  the 
top  of  the  wall  which  encloses  an  area  before  it,  is  stuck 
full  of  human  jaw-bones,  and  the  path  leading  to  the  door 
is  paved  with  the  skulls. 

In  the  kingdom  of  Ashantee,  similar-  practices  uni- 
formly prevail.  "  When  the  king  of  this  country,  (says 
Dupuis)  was  about  to  open  the  campaign  in  Gaman,  he 
collected  together  his  priests,  to  invoke  the  royal  Fetisckc, 
and  perform  the  necessary  orgies  to  ensure  success. 
These  ministers  of  superstition  sacrificed  thirty-two  male, 

*  M'Leod's  Voyage  to  Africa, 


DISPOSITIONS    OF    SAVAGE    NATIONS.  329 

and  eighteen  female  victims,  as  an  expiatory  offering  to 
the  gods  ;  but  the   answers  from  the  priests  being  deemed 
by  the  council  as  still  devoid  of  inspiration,  the  king  was 
induced  to  make  a  custom^  at  the  sepulchres  of  his  ances- 
tors, where  many  hundreds    bled.     This,  it  is  affirmed, 
propitiated  the  wrath  of  the  adverse  god."     The  same 
king,  when  he  returned,  having  discovered  a   conspiracy, 
decreed,  that  seventeen  of  his  wives,  along  with  his  own 
sister,  should  be    strangled  and  beheaded.     "  His   sister's 
paramour,  and  all  those  of  his  party,  were  doomed  to  the 
most  cruel  deaths,  at  the  grave  of  the  king's  mother.  While 
these  butcheries  were  transacting,  the  king  prepared  to 
enter  the  palace  ;  and  in  the   act  of  crossing  the  threshold 
of  the  outer  gate,  was  met  by  several  of  his  wives,  whose 
anxiety  to   embrace  their  sovereign  lord    impelled  them 
thus  to  overstep  the  boundary  of  female  decorum  in  Ash- 
antee  ;  for  it  happened  that  the  king  was  accompanied  by 
a  number  of  his  captains,  who,   accordingly,  were   com- 
pelled to  cover  their  faces  with  both  their  hands,  and  fly 
from  the  spot.     This  is  said  to  have  angered  the  monarch, 
although  his  resentment  proceeded  no  farther  than  words, 
and  he  returned  the  embraces  of  his  wives.      But  another 
cause  of  anger  soon  after  occurred,  and  he   was   hiHamed 
to  the  highest  pitch  of  indignation,  and,  in  a  paroxysm  of 
anger,  caused  these  unhappy  beings  to  be  cut  in  pieces 
before  his  face,  giving  orders,   at  the   same  time,   to   cast 
the  fragments  into  the  forest,  to  be  devoured  by  birds  and 
beasts  of  prey.     Nor  did  the  atonement  rest  here;  for  six 
more  unhappy  females  were   impeached    of  inconstancy, 
and  they  also  expiated  their  faults  with  their  lives.     Like 
another  Ulysses,  his   majesty  then  devoted  himself  to  the 
purification  of  his  palace,  when,  to  sum  up  the  full  hor- 
rors of  these  bloody  deeds,  two  thousand   wretches,   se- 
lected from  the  Gaman  prisoners  of  war,  were  slaughtered 
over  the  royal  death-stool,  in  honour  of  the  shades  of  de- 
parted kings  and  heroes."* 

Such  are  a  few  specimens  of  the  ferocious  dispositions 
of  the  petty  tyrants  of  Africa.  But  we  are  not  to  imagine, 
that   such  dispositions  are  confined  to  kings,  and  to  the 


Dupuis'  Mission  to  Ashantee,  iu  1823. 
28 


330  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

higher  ranks  of  society.  Wherever  such  malevolent  past' 
sions  are  displayed  among  barbarous  chieftains,  they  per- 
vade, in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  the  whole  mass  of  the 
people,  and  almost  every  one,  in  proportion  to  the  power 
with  which  he  is  invested,  perpetrates  similar  barbarities. 
The  following  instance  will  corroborate  this  position, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  show,  for  how  many  cruelties  and 
acts  of  injustice  the  abettors  of  the  infamous  traffic  in 
slaves,  are  accountable.  It  is  extracted  from  Major  Gray's 
"  Travels  in  Africa,  in  1824." 

The  Kaartan  force  which  the  Major  accompanied,  had 
made  107  prisoners,  chiefly  women  and  children,  in  a  pre- 
datoiy  excursion  into  Bondoo,  for  the  purpose  of  supply- 
ing themselves  with  slaves.  The  following  is  an  account 
of  the  manner  in  Avhich  they  were  dragged  along.  "  The 
men  were  tied  in  pairs  by  the  necks,  their  hands  secured 
behind  their  backs  ;  the  women  by  the  necks  only  ;  but 
their  hands  were  not  left  free,  from  any  sense  of  feeling 
for  them,  but  in  order  to  enable  them  to  balance  the  im- 
mense loads  of  corn  or  rice  which  they  were  obliged  to 
carry  on  their  heads,  and  their  children  on  their  backs."— 
"  I  had  an  opportunity,"  says  Major  Gray,  "  of  wit- 
nessing, during  this  short  march,  the  new  made  slaves, 
and  the  sufferings  to  which  they  are  subjected  in  their  first 
state  of  bondage.  They  were  hurried  along  {tied)  at  a 
pace  little  short  of  running,  to  enable  them  to  keep  up  with 
the  horsemen,  Avho  drove  them  on,  as  Smithfield  drovers 
do  fatigued  bullocks.  Many  of  the  women  were  old,  and 
by  no  means  able  to  endure  such  treatment.  One,  in  par- 
ticular, would  not  have  failed  to  excite  the  tenderest  feel- 
ings of  compassion  in  the  breast  of  any,  save  a  savage"  Af- 
rican. She  was  at  least  sixty  years  old,  in  the  most  mise- 
rable state  of  emaciation  and  debility,  nearly  doubled  to- 
gether, and  with  difficulty  dragging  her  tottering  limbs 
along.  To  crown  the  heart-rending  picture,  she  was  nak- 
ed, save  from  her  waist,  to  about  half  way  to  tlie  knees. 
All  this  did  not  prevent  her  inhuman  captor  from  making 
her  carry  a  heavy  load  of  water,  while,  with  a  rope  about 
her  neck,  he  drove  her  before  his  horse  ;  and  whenever 
she  shewed  the  least  inclination  to  stop,  he  beat  her  in 
the  most  unmerciful  manner  with  a  stick." 

Were  we  to  travel  through  the  whole  interior  of  Africa, 


DISPOSITIONS    OF    SAVAGE    NATIONS.  331 

and  round  its  northern,  eastern,  and  western  coasts,  we 
should  find,  among  almost  every  tribe,  numerous  displays 
of  the  same  inhuman  and  depraved  dispositions.  The 
Aln^crines  are  characterized  as  the  most  cruel  and  dan- 
gerous pirates — base,  perfidious,  and  rapacious,  to  the 
last  degree.  No  oaths,  nor  lies,  human  or  divine,  will 
avail  to  bind  them,  when  their  interest  interferes.  What- 
ever respect  they  may  pretend  to  pay  to  their  prophet  Ma- 
homet, gold  is  the  only  true  idol  which  they  worship. 
The  emperors  of  Morocco  are  well  known  as  a  set  of  rapa- 
cious and  blood-thirsty  tyrants,  who  have  lived  in  a  state 
of  habitual  warfare  with  Christian  nations,  and  in  the  per- 
petration of  deeds  of  injustice  and. cruelty.  The  Gallas, 
on  the  borders  of  Abyssinia,  are  a  barbarous  and  warlike 
nation.  They  are  hardy,  and  of  a  ferocious  disposition  ; 
they  are  trained  to  the  love  of  desperate  achievements, 
taught  to  believe  that  conquest  entitles  them  to  the  pos- 
session of  whatever  they  desire,  and  to  look  upon  death 
with  the  utmost  contempt ;  and,  therefore,  in  their  wars, 
they  fight  with  the  most  desperate  resolution,  and  neither 
give  nor  take  any  quarter.  The  inhabitants  of  Adel,  too, 
are  of  a  warlike  disposition,  and  most  frequently  live  in 
enmity  and  hostility  with  those  around  them.  The  Feloops 
are  gloomy  and  unforgiving  in  their  tempers,  thirsting  for 
vengeance  even  in  the  hour  of  dissolution,  and  leaving 
their  children  to  avenge  their  quarrels.  The  inhabitants 
of  the  Grain  Coast,  especially  the  Mulattoes,  are  said  to 
be  a  most  abandoned  set  of  people.  The  men  are  drunk- 
ards, lewd,  thievish,  and  treacherous,  and  the  women  are 
the  most  abandoned  prostitutes,  sacrificing  themselves  at 
all  times,  and  to  all  sorts  of  men,  without  the  least  degree 
of  restraint*  The  natives  of  Ansico,  which  borders  on 
Angola,  live  by  plundering  all  who  happen  to  fall  in  their 
way,  some  of  whom  they  kill,  and  others  they  keep  as 
slaves.!  *'  The  Boshemcn  are  land  pirates,  who  live  with- 
out laws  and  without  discipline ;  who  lurk  in  thickets,  to 
watch  the  passage  of  travellers,  and  shoot  them  with  poison- 
ed arrows,  in  order  to  seize  their  cattle."J     "  The  negroes 


*  Cooke's  Universal  Geocraphv,  Vol.  I.  p.  447.  f  Ibid. 

X  Vaillant'g  Tra-vcls, 


332  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

of  Congo,  (says  M.  de  la  Brosse  in  his  Travels  along  the 
coast  of  Angola,  in  1738,)  are  extremely  treacherous  and 
vindictive.'  They  daily  demanded  of  us  some  brandy  for 
the  use  of  the  king  and  the  chief  men  of  the  town.  One 
day  this  request  was  denied,  and  we  had  soon  reason  to 
repent  it ;  for  all  the  English  and  French  ofhccrs  having 
gone  to  fish  on  a  small  lake  near  the  sea-coast,  they  erect- 
ed a  tent  for  the  purpose  of  dressing  and  eating  the  fishes 
they  had  caught.  When  amusing  themselves  after  their 
repast,  seven  or  eight  negroes,  who  were  the  chiefs  of  Lo- 
ango,  arrived  in  sedans,  and  presented  their  hands  accord- 
ing to  the  custom  of  the  country.  These  negroes  private- 
ly rubbed  the  hands  of  the  officers  with  a  subtle  poison, 
which  acts  instantaneously ;  and,  accordingly,  five  captains 
and  three  surgeons  died  on  the  spot." 

The  Moors  are  characterized  by  Mr.  Park  as  having 
cruelty  and  low  cunning  pictured  on  their  countenances. 
Their  treachery  and  malevolence  are  manifested  in  their 
plundering  excursions  against  the  Negro  villages.  With- 
out the  smallest  provocation,  and  sometimes  under 
the  fairest  professions  of  friendship,  they  will  seize  up- 
on the  Negroes'  cattle,  and  even  on  the  inhabitants  them- 
selves. The  Bedouins  are  plunderers  of  the  cultivated 
lands,  and  robbers  on  the  high  roads ;  they  watch  every 
opportunity  of  revenging  their  enemies,  and  their  animos- 
ities are  transmitted  as  an  inheritance  from  father  to  chil- 
dren. Even  the  Egyptians,  who  are  more  civilized  than 
the  tribes  to  which  I  have  now  alluded,  are  characterized 
by  excessive  pride,  vindictive  tempers,  inordinate  passions, 
and  various  species  of  moral  turpitude.  There  is  a  trait 
in  the  character  of  the  women  of  this  country,  pointedly 
adverted  to  by  Sonini,  in  his  "  Travels  in  Egypt,"  which 
is  peculiarly  odious  and  horrible.  On  discovering  any 
partiality  in  their  husbands  for  other  females,  they  are 
transported  into  an  unbounded  and  jealous  fury.  Such 
are  their  deceit  and  cruelty  on  these  occasions,  that  they 
instil  into  the  blood  of  the  faithless  husband,  a  slow  and 
mortal  poison.  Their  revenge  is  meditated  in  silence, 
and  they  indulge  the  diabolical  satisfaction  of  taking  off 
an  unhappy  being  by  a  lingering  death.  It  is  said,  with 
confidence,  that  their  own  persons  supply  the  horrid  means 
of  perpetrating  their  malicious  designs  on  their  husbands, 


PISPOSITIOxVS    OF    SAVAGE    NATIONS.  333 

and  that  they  mix  with  their  aliments  a  certain  portion  of 
an  ingredient  of  a  poisonous  nature,  which  infalhbly  in- 
duces a  slow  languor  and  consumption,  and  in  time  brings 
the  wretched  victims  to  the  grave.  The  symptoms  are 
dreadful.  The  body  desicates,  the  limbs  become  exces- 
sively w^eak,  the  gums  rot,  the  teeth  loosen,  the  hair  falls 
off,  and,  at  length,  after  having  dragged  a  miserable  and 
tortured  existence,  for  a  whole  year  or  more,  the  unhappy 
beings  die  in  the  most  extreme  torment. 

If  we  pass  from  Africa  to  the   regions   of  Asia,  we  shall 
find  similar  depraved   principles   and   practices   pervading 
its  several  tribes,  and  the  various   ranks  of  its  population. 
Here,  tyranny,  in  all  its  degrading  and  cruel  forms,  reigns 
supreme  and  uncontrolled  over  a   superstitious,   a  deluded, 
and  an  idolatrous  race  of  mankind, — of  which  the  follow- 
ing recent  instance,  in  relation  to  a  petty  despot  of  Persia, 
may  serve  as  a  specimen.     "  The  governor  Zulfecar  Khun 
is  pronounced  to  be  a  cruel  and  unprincipled  tyrant ;  un- 
fortunately for  the  people,  he  has  the  ear  of  the  sovereign, 
and  they  have  no  resource  against  his  rapacity.      lie  pays 
to  the  crown  7000  tomauns  a  year,  but  it  is  asserted,   that 
he  collects  from  the  district  100,000.     His  oppression  Avas 
so  grievous,  that  the  inhabitants,  wearied  out,   went  in  a 
body  to  the  king  to  complain  ;  but  his  majesty  only   refer- 
red them  back  to  their  tyrant,   who,   exasperated   at  their 
boldness,    wreaked  upon  them   a  cruel  vengeance.       It  is 
said,  that  he  maimed  and  put  to  death  upwards  of  a  thou- 
sand of  both  sexes,  cutting  off  the  hands,  putting  out  the 
eyes,  and  otherwise  mutilating  the  men,  and  cutting  off  the 
noses,  ears,  and  breasts  of  the  Avomen.      The  people,  de- 
sponding and  broken-hearted  after  this,  paid,  in  as  far  as  they 
were  able,  the  rapacious  demands  of  their  oppressor,  and 
the  natural  consequence,  ruin  and  desolation  has  ensued.''* 
Sir  John  Chardin  gives  us  the  follow^ing  account  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Mingrelia,  particularly  of  the  women.  "  The 
people  are  generally  handsome,  the  men  strong  and  well- 
made,  and  the  women  very  beautiful  ;   but  both  sexes  are 
very  vicious  and  debauched.      The  women,  though  live- 
ly, civil,  and  affectionate,  are  very  perfidious  ;   for  there 


Frazer's  Journey  to  Khorasan,  1823* 

S8* 


334  THE    PHILOSOPHY   OF    RELIGION. 

is  no  wickedness  which  they  will  not  perpetrate,  in  or- 
der to  procure,  to  preserve,  or  to  get  rid  of  their  gallants. 
The  men  likewise  possess  many  bad  qualities.  All  of 
them  are  trained  to  robbery,  which  they  study  both  as 
a  business,  and  as  an  amusement.  With  great  satisfac- 
tion they  relate  the  depredations  they  have  committed  ; 
and,  from  this  polluted  source,  they  derive  their  greatest 
praise  and  honour.  In  Mingrelia,  falsehood,  assassina- 
tion, and  theft,  are  good  actions  ;  and  whoredom,  bigamy, 
and  incest,  are  esteemed  as  virtuous  habits.  The  men 
marry  two  or  three  wives  at  a  time,  and  keep  as  many 
concubines  as  they  choose.  They  not  only  make  a  com- 
mon practice  of  selling  their  children,  either  for  gold,  or 
in  exchange  for  wares  and  provisions,  but  even  murder 
them,  or  bury  tliem  alive,  when  they  find  it  difficult  to 
bring  them  up." 

The  Tartars^  who  occupy  vast  regions  of  the  Asiatic 
continent,  are  uniformly  described  by  travellers,  as  a  rude, 
plundering,  and  uncultivated  race  of  men.  "  There  is 
something  frightful,"  says  Smellie,  "  in  the  countenances 
of  the  Calmuck  Tartars.  All  of  them  are  wandering 
vagabonds,  and  live  in  tents  made  of  cloth  or  of  skins. 
They  eat  the  flesh  of  horses,  either  raw,  or  a  little  soften- 
ed by  putrifying  under  their  saddles.  No  marks  of  re- 
ligion, or  of  decency  in  their  manners,  are  to  be  found 
among  most  of  these  tribes.  They  are  fierce,  warlike, 
hardy,  and  brutally  gross.  They  are  all  robbers  ;  and 
the  Tartars  of  Daghestan,  who  border  on  civilized  na- 
tions, have  a  great  trade  in  slaves,  whom  they  carry  ofi' by 
force,  and  sell  to  the  Persians  and  Turks."* 

The  Arabians^  like  the  Tartars,  live  mostly  witliout 
government,  without  law,  and  almost  without  any  social 
intercourse.  They  still  continue  in  a  state  of  rudeness  and 
of  lawless  independency.  Their  chiefs  authorize  rape, 
theft,  and  robbery.  They  have  no  estimation  for  virtue, 
and  glory  in  almost  every  species  of  vice.  They  roam 
about  in  the  deserts,  and  attack  caravans  and  travellers  of 
every  description,  whom  they  frequently  murder,  and 
plunder    of  their  property. — The   Chinese^   though   more 


Smellie's  Philosophy  of  Natural  History. 


DISPOSITIONS    OF    SAVAGE    NATIONS.  335 

highly  civiHzed  than  the  tribes  now  mentioned,  and  tliough 
they  merit  great  applause  for  their  ingenuity,  industry, 
and  perseverance,  are  as  despicable  in  their  moral  char- 
acters, and  as  destitute  of  true  benevolence,  as  almost 
any  nation  upon  earth.  Avarice  is  their  leading  passion  ; 
and  in  order  to  gratify  it,  they  practise  every  species 
of  duplicity  and  fraud.  They  cannot  be  influenced  by 
motives  either  of  honesty  or  of  humanity ;  and  they  sur- 
pass every  nation  on  the  globe  in  private  cheating.  Cap- 
tain Cook  observes,  that  (the  danger  of  being  hanged 
for  any  crime  being  excepted)  "  there  is  nothing,  how- 
ever infamous,  which  the  Chinese  will  refuse  to  do  for 
gain."  In  this  opinion  he  concurs  with  every  preceding 
and  subsequent  writer,  and  confirms  it  by  a  variety  of 
striking  proofs,  of  which  an  additional  number  may  be 
seen  in  the  accounts  which  have  been  published  of  our 
late  embassies  to  that  empire. 

The  Birmans  are  a  lively  inquisitive  race,   active,  iras- 
cible, and   impatient.     While  in  peace,  they   give    proofs 
of    a  certain    degree   of  gentleness    and    civilization  ;    in 
war,  they  display  the  ferocity   of  savages. — The  Malays, 
though  inhabiting    a  country   beautiful   and  delightful    in 
the  extreme,  where  refreshing  gales  and  cooling  streams 
assuage    the   heat,    where  the   soil   teems    with   delicious 
fruits,  where  the  trees  are  clothed  with  a  continual  verdure, 
and  the  flowers  breathe  their    fragrant   odours,    are   re- 
markably ferocious  in  their   manners.     They  go  always 
armed  (except  the  slaves),  and    would   think    themselves 
disgraced,  if  they  went   abroad  without  their   poignards. 
The  inland    inhabitants   of  Malacca,    called    Monucaboes, 
are  a  barbarous  savage  people,  delighting  in  doing  contin- 
ual mischief  to  their  neighbours  ;  on  which    account,   no 
grain  is  sown  about  Malacca,  but  what  is    enclosed  in  gar- 
dens, with  the  thickest  hedges,  or  deep  ditches  ;  for  when 
the  grain'is  ripe  in  the  open  plains,  the  Monucaboes  never 
fail  to  set  fire  to  it.     The  Persians,  in  their  dispositions, 
says  Mr.  Franklin,   are   much  inclined  to    sudden  anger, 
are  quick,  fiery,  and  very  sensible  of  afl'ronts,  which  they 
resent  on  the  spot.     Chardin  describes  them  as  "  w^arlike, 
vain,    and  ambitious   of  praise  ;    exceedingly    luxurious, 
prodigal,  voluptuous,    and  addicted    to  gallantry."     It  is 
"well    known   that  the  wars    and  fiend-like    cruelties    in 


336  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF  RELIGION. 

which  the  despots  of  this  country  have  been  engaged, 
have  transformed'  many  of  its  provinces  into  scenes  of 
steriHty  and  desolation. — The  Hindoos  are  efi'eminate,  lux- 
urious, and  early  initiated  into  the  arts  of  dissimulation. 
They  can  caress  those  whom  they  hate,  and  behave  with 
the  utmost  affability  and  kindness  to  such  as  they  intend 
to  deprive  of  existence,  by  the  most  sanguinary  means. 
Though  they  seldon*  scold  or  wrangle,  they  often  stab  each 
other  insidiously,  and,  without  any  public  quarrel,  gratify  a 
private  revenge.  The  destruction  of  infants,  the  immolation 
of  widows,  the  drowning  of  aged  parents,  which  i)revail 
among  them,  and  the  cruel  and  idolatrous  rites  whi(*h  dis- 
tinguish their  religious  services,  are  too  well  Imown  to 
require  description. — The  Turks,  though  grave,  sedate, 
and  rather  hypochondriac,  yet  when  agitated  by  passion, 
are  furious,  raging,  ungovernable,  fraught  with  dissimula- 
tion, jealous,  suspicious,  and  vindictive  beyond  concep- 
tion. They  are  superstitious,  and  obstinately  tenacious  in 
matters  of  religion,  and  are  incapable  of  exercising  be- 
nevolence, or  even  humanity,  towards  Christians,  or  to- 
wards Jews.  Interest  is  their  supreme  good,  and,  when 
that  comes  in  competition,  all  ties  of  religion,  consanguin- 
ity, or  friendship,  are,  with  the  generality,  speedily  dis- 
solved. They  have  deprived  of  their  liberty,  and  of 
their  wealth,  all  who  have  been  subjected  to  their  iron 
sceptre,  and  have  plunged  them  into  the  depths  of  moral 
and  of  mental  debasement.  The  page  of  history  is  filled 
with  details  of  their  devastations  and  cruelties,  and  the 
deeds  of  injustice  and  of  horror  which  they  have  perpe- 
trated, even  in  our  own  times,  are  scarcely  equalled  by 
the  atrocities  of  the  most  savage  hordes  of  mankind. 

If  we  take  a  survey  of  the  numerous   tribes  which  in- 
habit   THE     ISLANDS    OF     THE     InDIAN     AND     THE    PACIFIC 

OCEANS,  we  shall  find  similar  depraved  and  malevolent 
passions,  raging  without  control,  and  producing  all  those 
malignant  and  desolating  eflects  which  have  counteracted 
the  benevolence  of  the  Creator,  and  entailed  misery  on 
the  human  race.  The  dismal  effects  of  the  principle  of 
hatred  directed  towards  human  beings,  the  disposition  to 
engage  in  continual  warfare,  and  the  savage  ferocity  of  the 
human  mind,  when  unrestrained  by  moral  and  prudential 
considerations,  are  nowhere  so  strikingly  displayedj  as  in. 


DISPOSITIONS    OF    THE    NEW    ZEALANDERS.  337 

the  isles  which  are  scattered  throughout  the  wide  expanse 
of  the  Pacific  ocean.  Of  the  truth  of  these  positions  we 
have  abundance  of  melancholy  examples,  in  the  reports 
of  missionaries,  and  in  the  journals  which  have  been  pub- 
lished by  late  navigators,  from  which  I  shall  select  only 
two  or  three  examples. 

The  first  instance,  I  shall  produce,  has  a  relation   chief- 
ly to  the   inhabitants  of  New   Zealand.     With    respect  to 
these    islanders    Captain    Cook  remarks,  "  Their    public 
contentions  are    frequent,   or  rather   perpetual ;  for,  it  ap- 
pears  from  their    number   of  weapons,  and    dexterity  in 
using  them,    that   war   is   their  principal   profession." — 
"  The  war   dance    consists  of  a  great .  variety   of  violent 
motions,    and   hideous    contortions  of  the  limbs,    during 
which  the  countenance  also   performs  a  part :  the  tongue 
is  frequently  thrust   out  to  an  incredible  length,   and  the 
eye-lid  so  forcibly  drawn  up,  that  the  white   appears  both 
above  and  below,  as  well  as  on  each  side  of  the  iris,  so  as 
to  form  a  circle  around  it ;  nor  is  any  thing  neglected  so 
as   to    render  the  human   shape   frightful  and  deformed. 
To  such  as  have  not  been  accustomed  to  such  a  practice, 
they  appear  more  like   demons  than  men,   and  would  al- 
most chill  the  boldest  with  fear ;  at   the  same  time  they 
brandish  their  spears,   shake  their    darts,    and  cleave   the 
air  with  their  patoo-patoos.     To  this  succeeds  a  circum- 
stance almost  foretold  in  their   fierce    demeanour,    horrid 
and   disgraceful  to    human   nature,   which   is,   cutting   to 
pieces,  even  before  being   perfectly    dead,  the    bodies  of 
their  enemies  ;  and,  after  dressing  them   on  a  fire,  devour- 
ing the  flesh,  not  only  without  reluctance,  but  with  pe- 
culiar satisfaction."     There  is  perhaps  nothing  that   can 
convey  a  more  striking  idea  of  the  actions  of  pure  malev- 
olence, and  of  the  horrible  rage  and  fury  of  infernal  fiends, 
than  the  picture  here  presented  of  these   savage  islanders. 
These  people  live  under  perpetual  apprehensions  of  be- 
ing destroyed   by  each  other;  there  being  few  of  their 
tribes  that  have  not,  as  they  think,  sustained  wrongs  from 
some  other  tribe,  which  they  are  continually  on  the  watch 
to  avenge  ;  and  the  desire  of  a  .  good  meal  is  no  small  in- 
citement.    Many   years  will  sometimes    elapse  before  a 
favourable  opportunity  happens,   yet  the   son  never  loses 
sight  of  an  injury  that  has  been   done  to  his  father. — 


;J88  THE    PHILOSOPHVr    OF    RELIGION. 

*'  Their  method  of  executing  their  horrible  designs  is  by 
steaUng  upon  the  adverse  party  in  the  night,  and  if  they 
find  them  unguarded  (wliich  is  very  seldom  the  case) 
they  kill  every  one  indiscriminately,  not  even  sparing  the 
women  and  children.  When  the  massacre  is  completed, 
they  either  feast  and  gorge  themselves  on  the  spot,  or  car- 
ry off  as  many  of  the  dead  bodies  as  they  can,  and  devour 
them  at  home,  with  acts  of  brutality  too  shocking  to  be 
described.  If  they  are  discovered  before  they  execute 
their  bloody  purpose,  they  generally  steal  off  again  ;  and 
sometimes  are  pursued  and  attacked  by  the  other  party  in 
their  turn.  To  give  quarter,  or  to  take  prisoners,  makes 
no  part  of  their  military  law  ;  so  that  the  vanquished  can 
save  their  lives  only  by  flight.  This  perpetual  state  of 
war,  and  destructive  method  of  conducting  it,  operates  so 
strongly  in  producing  habits  of  circumspection,  that  one 
hardly  ever  finds  a  New  Zealander  off  his  guard,  either 
by  night  or  by  day."* — While  the  mind  is  kept  in  such  a 
state  of  incessant  anxiety  and  alarm,  it  must  be  impossible 
for  human  beings  to  taste  the  sweets  of  rational,  or  even 
of  sensitive  enjoyment,  A  melancholy  gloom  must  hang 
over  these  wretched  beings,  and  the  dark  suspicions,  and 
the  revengeful  passions  which  agitate  their  minds,  can  on- 
ly fit  them  for  those  regions  of  darkness  where  the  radia- 
tions of  benevolence  are  completely  extinguished. 

The  implacable  hatred  which  these  savages  entertam 
towards  each  other,  is  illustrated,  in  the  following  short 
narrative  from  Captain  Cook. — "Among  our  occasional 
visitors  was  a  chief  named  Kahoora,  who,  as  I  was  in- 
formed, headed  the  party  that  cut  off  Captain  Furneaux's 
people,  and  himself  killed  Mr.  Howe,  the  officer  who 
commanded.  To  judge  of  the  character  of  Kahoora,  by 
what  I  had  heard  from  many  of  his  countrymen,  he 
seemed  to  be  more  feared  than  beloved  among  them. 
Not  satisfied  with  telling  me  than  he  was  a  veiy  bad  man, 
some  of  them  even  importuned  me  to  kill  him :  and,  I 
believe,  they  were  not  a  little  surprised  that  I  did  not 
listen  to  them  ;  for,  according  to  their  ideas  of  equity, 
this  ought  to  have  been  done.     But  if  I  had  followed  the 


+  Cook's  Voyages, 


DISPOSITIONS    OF    THE    NEW-ZEALANDERS.  339 

advice  of  all  our  pretended  friends,  I  might  have  extir- 
pated the  whole  race  ;  for  the  people  of  each  hamlet  or 
villacre^  by  turns,  applied  to  me,  to  destroy  the  other.  One 
would  have  almost  thought  it  impossible,  that  so  striking 
a  proof  of  the  divided  state  in  which  this  people  live, 
could  have  been  assigned." 

Similar  dispositions  are  displayed  throughout  almost 
all  the  other  islands  of  the  Southern  ocean.  The  follow- 
ing description  is  given  by  M.  de  la  Perouse,  of  the  in- 
habitants of  Maouna  Oyolava,  and  the  other  islands  in  the 
Navigator^ s  Archipelago.  "  Their  native  ferocity  of  coun- 
tenance always  expresses  either  surprise  or  anger.  The 
least  dispute  between  them  is  followed  by  blows  of  sticks, 
clubs,  or  paddles,  and  often,  without  doubt,  costs  the  com- 
batants their  lives."  With  regard  to  the  women,  he  re- 
marks :  "  The  gross  effrontery  of  their  conduct,  the  in- 
decency of  their  motions,  and  the  disgusting  offers  which 
they  made  of  their  favours,  rendered  them  fit  mothers  and 
wives  for  the  ferocious  beings  that  surrounded  us."  The 
treachery  and  ferocity  of  these  savages  were  strikingly 
displayed  in  massacring  M.  de  Langle,  the  astronomer, 
and  eleven  of  the  crew  that  belonged  to  Perouse's  vessel, 
and  such  was  their  fierce  barbarity,  that,  after  having 
killed  them,  they  still  continued  to  wreck  their  fury  up- 
on the  inanimate  bodies  with  their  clubs.  The  natives 
of  New  Caledonia  are  a  race  of  a  similar  description. 
Though  Captain  Cook  describes  them  as  apparently  a 
good  natured  sort  of  people,  yet  subsequent  navigators 
have  found  them  to  be  almost  the  very  reverse  of  what 
he  described ;  as  ferocious  in  the  extreme,  addicted  to 
cannibalism,  and  to  every  barbarity  shocking  to  human 
nature.  The  French  navigator,  Admiral  D'Entrecas- 
teaux,  in  his  intercourse  with  these  people,  received  un- 
doubted proofs  of  their  savage  disposition,  and  of  their 
being  accustomed  to  feed  on  human  flesh.  Speaking  of 
one  of  the  natives,  who  had  visited  his  ship,  and  had  de- 
scribed the  various  practices  connected  with  cannibal- 
ism, he  says, — "  It  is  diflicult  to  depict  the  ferocious 
avidity  with  which  he  expressed  to  us,  that  the  flesh  of 
their  unfortunate  victims  was  devoured  by  them  after  they 
had  broiled  it  on  the  coals.  This  cannibal  also  let  us 
know,  that  the  flesh  of  the  arms  and    legs  was   cut  into 


340  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   RELIGION. 

slices,  and  that  they  considered  the  most  muscular  parts  a 
very  agreeable  dish.  It  was  then  easy  for  us  to  explain, 
why  they  frequently  felt  our  arms  and  legs,  manifesting  a 
violent  longing  ;  they  then  uttered  a  faint  whistling,  which 
they  produced  by  closing  their  teeth,  and  applying  to  them 
the  tip  of  the  tongue  ;  afterwards  opening  their  mouth, 
they  smacked  their  lips  several  times  in  succession." 

The  characters  of  the  islanders  now  described,  may  be 
considered  as  common  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  New  He- 
brides, the  Friendly  Islands,  the  Marquesas,  the  Sand- 
wich, New  Guinea,  New  Britain,  the  Ladrones,  and  al- 
most all  the  islands  which  are  dispersed  over  the  vast  ex- 
panse of  the  Pacific  ocean.  Captain  Cook,  when  des- 
cribing the  natives  of  New  Zealand,  remarks,  that,  "  the 
inhabitants  of  the  other  parts  of  the  South  Seas  have  not 
even  the  idea  of  indecency  with  respect  to  any  object,  or 
to  any  action."  The  inhabitants  even  of  the  Society  and 
of  the  Sandwich  Isles,  prior  to  the  state  of  moral  and  re- 
ligious improvement  to  which  they  have  lately  advanced, 
though  their  dispositions  were  somewhat  milder  than 
those  of  the  other  islands — were  almost  equally  low  in 
point  of  moral  debasement.  Captain  Cook,  speaking  of 
the  natives  of  Otaheite,  declares,  "  They  are  all  arrant 
thieves,  and  can  pick  pockets  with  the  dexterity  of  the 
most  expert  London  blackguard."*  When  describing  the 
societies  distinguished  by  the  same  of  Arreoy^  he  declares, 
as  a  characteristic  of  the  female  part  of  the  community, 
*'  If  any  of  the  women  happen  to  be  with  child,  which  in 
this  manner  of  life,  happens  less  frequently  than  in  or- 
dinary cases,  the  poor  infant  is  smothered  the  moment  it 
is  born,  that  it  may  be  no  incumbrance  to  the  father,  nor 
interrupt  the  mother  in  the  pleasures  of  her  diabolical 
prostitution."!  Another  circumstance,  stated  by  the  same 
navigator,  exhibits  their  former  moral  character  in  a  still 
more  shocking  point  of  view.  On  the  approach  of  war 
with  any  of  the  neighbouring  islands,  or  on  other  inter- 
esting occasions,  human  sacrifices  were  a  universal  prac- 
tice. "  When  I  described,"  says  this  illustrious  voyager, 
"the  Natibe  at   Tongabatoo,    I  mentioned,    that,    on  the 


+  Hawkesworth's  Narrative  of  Cook's  Voyages,  Vol.  II.        f  Ibid . 


WARLIKE    ATTITUDE    OF    NATIONS.  S41 

approaching  sequel  of  that  festival,  we  had  been  told  that 
ten  men  were  to  be  sacrificed.  Tliis  may  give  us  an  idea 
of  the  extent  of  this  religious  massacre  on  that  island. 
And  though  we  should  suppose,  that  never  more  than  one 
person  is  sacrificed  on  any  single  occasion  at  Otaheite,  it 
is  more  than  probable,  that  these  occasions  happen  so  fre- 
quently, as  to  make  a  shocking  waste  of  the  human  race  ; 
for  I  counted  no  less  than  forty-nine  skulls  of  former  vic- 
tims, lying  before  the  Morai,  where  we  saw  one  more 
added  to  the  number.  And,  as  none  of  these  skulls  had, 
as  yet,  suffered  any  considerable  change  from  the  weather, 
it  may  hence  be  inferred,  that  no  great  length  of  time  had 
elapsed,  since  this  considerable  number  of  unhappy 
wretches  had  been  offered  on  this  altar  of  blood."*  He 
also  informs  us,  that  human  sacrifices  were  more  frequent 
in  the  Sandwich  than  in  any  of  the  other  islands.  *'  These 
horrid  rites,"  says  he,  "  are  not  only  had  recourse  to  upon 
the  commencement  of  war,  and  preceding  great  battles, 
and  other  signal  enterprises ;  but  the  death  of  any  con- 
siderable chief  calls  for  a  sacrifice  of  one  or  more  Tow- 
tows^  (that  is,  vulgar  or  low  persons,)  according  to  his 
rank ;  and  we  were  told  that  ten  men  were  destined  to 
suffer  on  the  death  of  Terreeoboo,  one  of  their  great 
chiefs."! 

Such  are  a  few  specimens  of  the  moral  dispositions— -the 
hatred,  the  horrid  warfare,  and  the  abominable  practices, 
which  are  displayed  over  the  greater  portion  of  the  East- 
ern and  Western  Continents,  and  among  the  thousands  of 
islands  which  diversify  the  surface  of  the  Ocean — disposi- 
tions, and  practices,  which,  iT  permitted  to  extend  their 
influence  universally,  and  without  control,  would  soon  ex- 
tirpate the  intelligent  creation,*and  banish  happiness  from 
the  Empire  of  God. 


WARLIKE    ATTITUDE    OF   NATIONS. 

Were  Benevolence  a  characteristic  of  the  inhabitants  of 
our  globe,   every  traveller  would  be  secure  from   danger 


*  Hawkesworth's  Narrative  of  Cook'e  Voyages,  Vol.  IL     t  Ibid. 
29 


342  THE     PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

from  his  fellow-men  ;  he  might  land  on  every  shore  with- 
out the  least  suspicion  or  alarm,  and  confidently  expect 
that  his  distresses  would  be  relieved,  and  his  wants  sup- 
plied, by  every  tribe  of  the  human  race  among  whom  he 
might  occasionally  sojourn.  No  hostile  weapons  would  be 
lifted  up  to  repel  a  stranger,  when  gratifying  his  curiosity  in 
visiting  distant  lands,  and  contemplating  foreign  scenes  ; 
and  no  instruments  of  destruction  would  require  to  be  forg- 
ed, to  preserve  a  nation  from  the  inroads  of  destroyers. 
But  when  we  survey  the  actual  state  of  mankind,  we  find 
almost  every  nation  under  heaven,  if  not  actually  engaged 
in  war,  at  least  in  a  warlike  attitude,  and  one  of  their  chief 
employments  consists  in  devising  schemes,  either  of  con- 
quest or  revenge,  and  in  furbishing  the  instruments  of 
death.  The  following  instances  may  suffice,  as  illustrations 
of  this  position. 

The  armies  of  Ashantee,  says  Dupuis,  amount  to  up- 
wards of  eighty  thousand  men,  armed  with  tomahawks, 
lances,  knives,  javelins,  bows  and  arrows ;  and  forty 
thousand,  who  can  occasionally  be  put  in  possession  of 
muskets  and  blunderbusses. — The  opposing  armies  of 
Moslem  and  Diniieru,  amounted  at  times  to  140,000 
men. — The  King  of  Dahomy,  and  his  auxiliaries,  can 
raise  about  50,000  men,  armed  with  bows  and  arrows,  sa- 
bres, and  iron  maces. — The  King  of  Benin  can  arm  200, 
000,  upon  an  emergency,  and  furnish  10,000  of  them  with 
muskets.  In  those  countries  of  Africa,  where  fire-arms 
and  gunpowder  are  unknown,  they  wield  the  following 
kinds  of  arms  with  great  dexterity  and  execution!  These 
are,  very  strong  supple  lances,  which  are  barbed  and  poi- 
soned, targets,  bows  and  arrows,  tomahawks,  and  iron 
maces  ;  the  former  of  which*  they  are  in  the  practice  of 
poisoning  with  a  venom  more  deadly  than  that  which  is 
used  by  any  other  nation,  as  its  operation  is  said  to  be 
sometimes  instantaneous,  and  its  wound,  :hough  ever  so 
slight,  usually  produces  death  within  the  lapse  of  a  few 
minutes.* 

Such  is  the  warlike  disposition  displayed  by  a  few 
comparatively   insignificant  tribes    in  Afri^-a,  and  similar 


Dupuis'  "  Mission  to  Ashantee,  in  1823." 


WARLIKE    ATTITUDE    OF    NATIONS.  343 

dispositions  are  manifested,  and  similar  attitudes  assumed, 
by  almost  all  the  tribes  whicli  inhabit  that  vast  continent. 
Their  time,  and  their  physical  and  mental  exertions,  seem 
to  be  spent  much  in  war,  and  in  the  preparation  of  war- 
like instruments,  as  if  these  were  the  great  ends  for  which 
the  Creator  had  brought  them  into  existence.  If  the  in- 
genuity and  the  energies  displayed  in  such  preparations 
and  pursuits,  were  employed  in  operations  calculated  to 
promote  the  benefit  of  mankind,  what  an  immense  propor- 
tion of  happiness  would  be  distributed  among  numerous 
tribes  which  are  just  now  sunk  into  depravity,  and  into 
the  depths  of  wretchedness  and  wo  ! 

Pallas,  in  his  description  of  the  nations  inhabiting  the 
Caucasus,  when  speaking  of  the  Circassians,  say^, 
"  Persons  of  wealth  and  rank  never  leave  the  house  with- 
out a  sabre,  nor  do  they  venture  beyond  the  limits  of  the 
village  without  being  completely  arrayed,  and  having 
their  breast  pockets  supplied  with  ball  cartridges."  In 
regard  to  the  lower  class,  "  when  they  do  not  carry  a  sa- 
bre, with  other  arms,  they  provide  themselves  with  a 
strong  stajE!',  two  arshines  long,  on  the  top  of  which  is  fix- 
ed a  large  iron  head,  and  the  lower  end  is  furnished  with 
a  sharp  iron  pike,  about  eighteen  inches  long,  which  they 
are  accustomed  to  throw  expertly,  like  a  dart.  The 
Princes  and  Knights  pursue  no  other  business  or  recrea- 
tion than  war,  pillage,  and  the  amusements  of  the  chase  ; 
they  live  a  lordly  life,  wander  about,  meet  at  drinking  par- 
ties, and  undertake  military  excursions."  Among  these 
people,  "  the  desire  of  revenge,  for  injuries  received, 
is  hereditary  in  the  successors,  and  in  the  whole  tribe. 
It  remains,  as  it  were,  rooted  with  so  much  rancour,  that 
the  hostile  princes  or  nobles  of  two  differed  tribes,  when 
they  meet  each  other  on  the  road,  or  accidentally  in  an- 
other place,  are  compelled  to  fight  for  their  lives  ;  unless 
they  have  given  previous  notice  to  each  other,  and  bound 
themselves  to  pursue  a  different  route.  Unless  pardon  be 
purchased,  or  obtained  by  intermarriage  between  the  two 
families,  the  principle  of  revenge  is  propagated  to  all  suc- 
ceeding generations."* 


*  Pallas*  "  Travels  through  the  Southern  Provinces  of  the  Rus- 
sian Empire,"  Vol.  11.  pp.  401,  405. 


344  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   RELIGION. 

It  is  well  known,  that  in  almost  all  the  islands  in  the 
Indian  and  the  Southein  Oceans,  when  navigators  at- 
tempt to  land,  in  order  to  procure  water  and  provisions, 
they  are  almost  uniformly  opposed  by  crowds  of  ferocious 
savages,  armed  with  long  spears,  clubs,  lances,  bows  and 
arrows  ;  and,  with  horrid  yells,  brandishing  them  in  the 
most  hostile  attitudes.  In  some  instances,  these  war- 
like attitudes  might  be  accounted  for,  from  a  fear  of  the 
depredations  and  murders  which  might  be  committed  by 
strangers,  with  whose  dispositions  and  characters  they  are 
unacquainted.  But  the  imj)lacable  hatred  which  they 
manifest  towards  even  the  neighbouring  tribes,  with  which 
they  are  acquainted,  and  of  which  I  have  already  stated 
several  instances,  shows,  that  war,  revenge,  and  the  pre- 
paration of  the  instruments  of  death,  are  both  their  em- 
ployment, and  their  delight.  Yea,  not  only  savage  and 
half-civilized  tribes,  but  almost  every  civilized  nation  on 
the  face  of  the  earth,  is  found  in  a  hostile  attitude  with  re- 
spect to  surrounding  nations — either  actually  engaged  in  a 
deadly  warfare  with  a  foreign  power,  or  preparing  for  an 
attack,  or  keeping  up  fleets  and  standing  armies,  and  forg- 
ing cannons,  and  balls,  and  swords,  in  the  prospect  of  a 
rupture  with  neighbouring  slates.  And  in  such  deadly 
preparations  and  employments,  a  great  proportion  of  those 
treasures  is  expended,  which,  if  directed  by  the  hand  of 
Benevolence,  would  be  the  means  of  transforming  the 
wilderness  into  a  fruitful  field,  of  distributing  intelligence 
and  moral  principle  among  all  ranks,  and  of  making  the 
hearts  of  the  poor,  the  widow,  and  the  orphan,  "  to  leap 
for  joy."  What  a  pitiful  picture  is  here  presented  of  Man, 
who  was  originally  formed  after  the  image  of  his  Maker, 
for  the  purpose  of  displaying  benevolent  affections  towards 
his  fellows, — now  divided  into  hostile  tribes,  and  brandish- 
ing, with  infernal  fury,  at  all  around,  the  instruments  of 
destruction !  How  art  thou  fallen,  O  Man,  from  thy  orig- 
inal station  of  dignity  and  honour !  "  How  is  the  gold  be- 
come dim,  and  the  most  fine  gold  changed  !  The  crown 
is  fallen  from  our  heads  ;  wo  unto  us,  for  we  have  sinned  !** 


345 


INHUMANITY    OF  UNCIVILIZED    TRIBES    TO     UNFORTUNATJE 
TRAVELLERS. 

In  passing  through  the  scene  of  his  earthly  pilgrimage, 
Man  is  exposed  to  a  variety  of  distresses  and  dangers. 
Sometimes  he  is  exposed  to  "  the  pestilence  that  walketh 
in  darkness,"  and  to  the  fever  "  that  wasteth  at  noon-day." 
Sometimes  he  is  exposed  to  the  desolations  of  the  earth- 
quake and  the  volcano ;  the  blasts  of  the  tempest,  the  hur- 
ricane, and  the  tornado,  and  the  billows  of  the  stormy 
ocean  ;  and,  at  other  times,  he  is  exposed  to  the  attacks 
of  the  lion,  the  tiger,  and  the  hyena,  in  the  dark  raeessee 
of  the  forest.  It  would  be  well,  however,  with  man,  were 
these  the  only  evils  and  enemies  whicli  he  had  to  encoun- 
ter. But  the  greatest  enemy  which  man  has  to  encounter, 
is  Man  himself — those  who  are  partakers  of  the  same  na- 
ture, and  destined  to  the  same  immortal  existence  ;  and 
from  these  kindred  beings,  he  is  exposed  to  evils  and  dis- 
tresses, incomparably  greater  and  more  numerous,  than  all 
the  evils  which  he  sutlers  from  the  ravenous  beasts  of  the 
forest,  or  from  the  furv  of  the  raofinor  elements.  It  is  a 
most  melancholy  reflection,  that,  throughout  the  greater 
part  of  the  habitable  world,  no  traveller  can  prosecute  his 
joirney,  without  being  in  hazard  either  of  being  dragged 
into  captivity,  or  insulted  and  maltreated,  or  plundered  of 
his  treasures,  or  deprived  of  his  life,  by  those  who  ought 
to  be  his  friends  and  protectors.  After  he  has  eluded  the 
pursuit  of  the  lion  or  the  wolf,  or  after  he  has  escaped, 
with  difficulty,  from  the  jaws  of  the  devouring  deep,  he  is 
frequently  e^^osed  to  the  fury  of  demons  in  human  shape, 
who  insult  over  his  misfortunes,  instead  of  relievixig  the 
wants  of  his  body,  and  soothing  the  anguish  of  hi§  mind. 
The  following  relations,  among  a  numerous  series  whi»h 
might  be  presented  to  the  view  of  the  reader,  will  tend  to 
illustrate  these  remarks. 

My  first  example  shall  be  taken  from  the  "  Narrative 
of  the  Loss  of  the  Grosvenor  Indiaman."  This  vessel 
sailed  from  Trincomalee,  June  13th,  1782,  c^n  her  home- 
ward-bound voyage,  and  was  wrecked  on  the  coast  of 
Cal^raria,  on  the  4th  of  August  following.  It  is  needless 
to  dwell  on  the  circumstancea  wliich  attended  the 
29* 


346  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

shipwreck,  and  on  the  consternation,  distraction,  and  de- 
spair, which  seized  upon  the  passengers  and  the  erew, 
when  they  became  aHve  to  all  the  terrors  of  the  scene. 
Shipwreck,  even  in  its  mildest  form,  is  a  calamity  which 
never  fails  to  fill  the  mind  with  horror ;  but  what  is  in- 
stant death,  considered  as  a  temporary  evil,  compared 
with  the  situation  of  those  who  had  hunger,  and  thirst, 
and  nakedness,  to  contend  with  ;  who  only  escaped  ihe 
fury  of  the  waves,  to  enter  into  conflicts  with  the  savages 
of  the  forest,  or  the  still  greater  savages  of  the  human 
race  ;  who  were  cut  off  from  all  civilized  society,  and 
felt  the  prolongation  of  life  to  be  only  the  lengthened  pains 
of  death  ? 

After  losing  about  twenty  men,  in  their  first  attempts 
to  land,  the  remaining  part  of  the  crew  and  the  passen- 
gers, in  number  about  a  hundred,  after  encountering  many 
difficulties  and  dangers,  reached  the  shore.  Next  morn- 
ing, a  thousand  uneasy  sensations  were  produced,  from 
the  natives  having  come  down  to  the  shore,  and,  with- 
out ceremony,  carried  off  whatever  suited  their  fancy. 
They  were  at  this  time  about  447  leagues  from  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  226  beyond  the  limits  of  any 
Christian  habitation.  Their  only  resource  appeared  to  be, 
to  direct  their  course  by  land  to  the  Cape,  or  to  the  near- 
est Dutch  settlement.  As  they  moved  forward,  they 
were  followed  by  some  of  the  natives,  who,  instead  of 
showing  compassion  to  this  wretched  groupe,  plundered 
them  from  time  to  time  of  what  they  liked,  and  sometimes 
pelted  them  with  stones.  In  this  way  they  pursued 
their  journey  for  four  or  five  days  ;  during  which,  the 
natives  constantly  surrounded  them  in  the  day,  taking 
from  them  whatever  they  pleased,  but  invariably  retir- 
ed in  the  night.  As  they  proceeded,  they  saw  many 
villages,  which  they  carefully  avoided,  that  they  might  be 
less  exposed  to  the  insults  of  the  natives.  At  last,  they 
came  to  a  deep  gully,  where  three  of  the  Caffres  met 
them,  armed  with  lances,  which  th'ey  held  several  times 
to  the  Captain's  throat.  Next  day,  on  coming  to  a 
large  village,  they  found  these  three  men,  with  three 
or  four  hundred  of  their  countrymen,  all  armed  with 
lances  and  targets,  who  stopped  the  English,  and  began 
to  pilfer  and  insult  them,  and  at  last  fell  upon  them  and 


INHUMANITY    TO    SHIPWRECKED    MARINERS.  847 

beat  them.  With  these  inhuman  wretches  they  had  to 
engage  in  a  kind  of  running  fight  for  upwards  of  two 
hours  ;  after  which,  they  cut  the  buttons  from  their  coats, 
and  presented  them  to  the  natives,  on  which,  they  went 
away  and  returned  no  more.  The  following  night  they 
were  terrified  with  the  noise  of  the  wild  beasts,  and  kept 
constant  watch  for  fear  both  of  them  and  tlip  natives. 
How  dreadful  a  situation,  especially  for  those  delicate  la- 
dies and  children,  who  had  so  lately  been  accustomed  to 
all  the  delicacies  of  the  East !  Next  day,  23  they  were 
advancing,  a  party  of  natives  came  down  upon  them,  and 
plundered  them,  among  other  things,  of  their  tinder-box, 
flint  and  steel,  which  proved  an  irreparable  loss.  Every 
man  was  now  obliged  to  travel,  by  turns,  with  a  fire  brand 
in  his  hand  ;  and  before  the  natives  retired,  they  showed 
more  insolence  than  ever,  robbing  the  gentlemen  of  their 
watches,  and  the  ladies  of  their  jewels,  which  they  had 
secreted  in  their  hair.  Opposition  was  vain  ;  the  attempt 
only  brought  fresh  insults  or  blows. 

This  groupe  of  wretched  wanderers  now  separated  into 
different  parties  ;  and  took  different  directions  ;  their  pro- 
visions were  nearly  exhausted  ;  and  the  delay  occasioned 
by  travelling  with  the  women  and  children  was  very  great. 
Their  difliculties  increased,  as  they  proceeded  on  their 
journey ;  they  had  numerous  rivers,  sometimes  nearly 
two  miles  in  breadth,  to  swim  across  in  the  course  of  their 
route,  while  the  women  and  children  were  conveyed  across 
on  floating  stages,  at  the  imminent  hazard  of  their  lives, 
and  of  being  carried  down  by  the  impetuous  current  into 
the  sea.  Whole  days  were  spent  in  tracing  the  rivers  to- 
wards their  source,  in  order  to  obtain  a  ford.  They  tra- 
versed vast  plains  of  sand,  and  bleak  and  barren  deserts, 
where  nothing  could  be  found  to  alleviate  their  hunger, 
nor  the  least  drop  of  water  to  quench  their  raging  thirst. 
They  p.assed  through  deep  forests,  where  human  feet  hael 
never  trod,  where  nothing  was  heard  but  the  dreadful 
bowlings  of  wild  beasts,  which  filled  them  with  alarmi 
and  despair.  Wild  sorrel,  berries  which  the  birds  had 
picked  a,t,  and  a  few  shell-fish  which  they  occasionally 
picked  up  on  the  shore,  were  the  only  food  which  they 
had  to  subsist  on  for  several  days  ;  and  on  some  occasions, 
the  dead  body  of  a  seal,  or  the  putrid  carcass  of  a  whale, 


348  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF  RELIGION.  • 

was  hailed  as  a  delicious  Iroat  to  their  craving  appetites. 
One  person  fell  after  another  into  the  arms  of  death, 
through  hunger,  fatigue,  and  despair,  and  were  sometimes 
obliged  to  be  left  in  the  agonies  of  dissolution,  as  aprev, 
to  ravenous  beasts,  or  to  the  fowls  of  heaven.  The  fol- 
lowing circumstance  shows  the  dreadful  situation  to 
which  they  were  reduced  for  want  of  food.  "  It  appeared 
that  the  captain's  steward  had  been  buried  in  the  sand  of 
the  last  desert  they  had  passed,  and  that  the  survivors 
were  reduced  to  such  extremity,  that,  after  he  had  been 
interred,  they  sent  back  two  of  their  companions  to  cut  off 
part  of  his  flesh  ;  but  while  they  proceeded  in  this  horrid 
business,  they  had  the  good  fortune  to  discover  a  young 
seal,  newly  driven  on  shore,  which  proved  a  most  season- 
able relief" 

Imagination  cannot  form  a  scene  of  deeper  distress  than 
what  the  tender  sex,  and  the  little  children  must,  in 
such  a  case,  have  experienced.  It  harrows  up  the  very 
soul  to  think  what  pangs  those  delicate  females  v»'ho  had 
so  lately  been  inured  to  all  the  pleasures  and  luxuries  of 
India,  must  have  endured,  when  they  were  fain  to  ap- 
pease their  craving  appetites  on  the  putrid  carcass  of  a 
whale,  and  were  obliged  to  repose  on  the  bare  ground, 
amidst  the  bowlings  of  the  tempest,  and  the  more  dismal 
yells  of  the  beasts  of  prey.  But,  amidst  this  heart-rend- 
ing scene,  their  fellow-men  who  ought  to  have  been  their 
soothers  and  protectors,  and  who  had  it  in  their  power  to 
have  alleviated  their  distresses,  were  the  greatest  enemies 
they  had  to  encounter ;  and  their  appearance  filled  their 
minds  with  greater  alarm  than  if  they  had  beheld  a  roar- 
ing lion,  or  a  raging  bear.  The  following  are  some  speci- 
mens of  the  perfidy  and  inhumanity  of  the  natives.  In 
passing  through  a  village,  one  of  the  company  observing, 
"  that  a  traflic  would  not  be  unacceptable,  offered  them 
the  inside  of  his  watch  for  a  calf;  but  though  they  assent- 
ed to  the  terms,  no  sooner  had  they  obtained  the  price, 
than  they  withheld  the  calf,  and  drove  the  English  from 
their  village."  In  the  same  manner  were  they  used  an 
many  other  occasions.  One  time,  when  resting  at  a  vil- 
lage, where  the  natives  offered  no  particular  resistance, 
*'  they  produced  two  bowls  of  milk,  which  they  seemed 
willing  to  baiter,  but  as  our  wretched  countrymen  had 


INHUMANITY    TO    SHIPWRECKED    MARINERS,  349 

nothing  to  give  in  exchange,  they  denied  them  this  hum- 
ble boon  without  an  equivalent,  and  ate  it  up  themselves." 
At  the  same  place,  they  implored  in  the  most  impressive 
terms,  to  partake  with  the  natives  of  the  spoils  of  a  deer, 
which  they  had  just  killed,  but  they  turned  a  deaf  ear 
to  their  solicitations,  and  insisted,  moreover,  on  their 
quitting  the  kraal.  On  another  occasion,  "  on  coming  to 
a  large  village,  the  inhabitants  set  upon  them  with  such 
fury,  that  several  were  severely  wounded,  and  one  of  them 
died  soon  after." 

In  this  manner,  did  the  wretched  remains  of  these  hap- 
less wanderers  traverse  the  wilds  of  Africa,  during  the 
space  of  one  hundred  and  seventeen  days,  till  they  acci- 
dentally met  with  some  Dutch  settlers,  when  within  400 
miles  of  the  Cape.  Here  they  were  treated  with  the 
kindest  attention,  and  their  wants  relieved.  But,  by  this 
time,  only  15  or  20  emaciated  beings  survived,  out  of  more 
than  120  persons  who  were  on  board  the  Grosvenor. 
What  became  of  the  captain  and  his  party  is  still  unknown. 
Some  are  supposed  to  have  perished  from  hunger,  some 
through  grief  and  fatigue,  and  others  to  have  been  killed 
by  the  inhospitable  natives. — Now,  all  the  accumulated 
miseries  endured  by  these  unfortunate  travellers,  and  the 
premature  death  of  nearly  a  hundred  persons,  are  to  be  at- 
tributed to  that  spirit  of  selfishness,  inhumanity,  and  hos- 
tility, which,  in  all  ages,  has  prevented  enjoyment,  and 
entailed  misery  on  the  human  race.  Had  a  principle  of 
love  to  mankind  pervaded  the  hearts  of  the  wretched  Caf- 
fres,  or  had  even  the  common  feelings  of  humanity  been 
exercised  towards  their  fellow-creatures  in  distress,  the 
whole  of  the  unfortunate  individuals  that  perished  in  Afri- 
ca's inhospitable  clime,  might  have  been  conducted  in 
safety  to  their  friends  and  their  native  land. 

My  next  example  is  taken  from  M.  De  Brisson's 
"Narrative  of  his  shipwreck,  and  captivity  among  the 
Moors." 

M.  Brisson  was  shipwrecked  on  the  coast  of  Barba- 
ry,  on  the  10th  July,  1785,  and,  after  much  difficulty 
and  danger,  he,  along  with  the  crew,  escaped  safe  to  land. 
No  sooner  had  they  reached  the  shore,  than  they  were  sur- 
rounded by  a  crowd  of  savages,  and  seized  by  the  collars. 
"  The   Arabs,"  says    M.  Brisson,  "  armed  with  cutlasses 


350  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

and  large  clubs,  fell  upon  ray  companions  with  incredible 
ferocity  ;  and  I  had  llie  inorlitieation  of  soon  seeing  some 
of  them  wounded,  whilst  others,  stripped  and  naked,  lay 
stretched  out  and  expiring  on  the  sand.  The  news  of  our 
shipwreck  being  spread  abroad  through  the  country,  we 
saw  the  savages  running  with  the  greatest  eagerness  from 
all  quarters.  The  luomcn,  enraged  that  they  could  not  pil- 
lage the  ship,  threw  themselves  upon  us,  and  tore  from  us 
the  few  articles  of  dress  which  we  had  left.  While  they 
went  to  the  shore  to  obtain  more  plunder,  a  company  of 
Ouadelims  discovered  and  pillaged  our  retreat,  and  beat  us 
in  the  most  unmerciful  manner,  till  I  was  almost  at  the 
last  gasp.  My  mind  was  so  much  affected  that  I  could  not 
refrain  from  tears  ;  and  some  of  the  women  having  observ- 
ed it,  instead  of  being  moved  with  compassion,  threw  sand 
in  my  eyes,,  '  to  dry  up  my  tears,'  as  they  expressed  it." 
M.  Brisson  was  forced,  by  these  rude  barbarians,  into  the 
interior  of  the  country,  as  a  captive.  "  After  passing," 
says  he,  "  mountains  of  a  prodigious  height,  which  were 
covered  with  small  sharp  flints,  I  found  that  the  soles  of  my 
feet  were  entirely  covered  with  blood.  I  wasf  permitted 
to  get  up  behind  my  master  on  his  camel ;  but  as  I  was 
naked,  I  could  not  sef:ure  myself  from  the  friction  of  the 
animal's  hair,  so  that  in  a  very  little  time  my  skin  was  en- 
tirely rubbed  off.  My  blood  trickled  down  over  the  ani- 
mal's sides,  and  this  sight,  instead  of  moving  the  pity  of 
these  barbarians,  afforded  them  a  subject  of  diversion.  They 
sported  with  my  sufferings ;  and  that  their  enjoyments 
might  be  still  higher,  thy  spurred  on  their  camels."  Af- 
ter travelling  for  sixteen  days,  during  which  they  were  ex- 
posed to  the  greatest  fatigue,  and  the  most  dreadful  mise- 
ries, they  at  length  reached  the  place  of  their  destination, 
in  a  most  wretched  and  exhausted  condition.  And  what 
Was  the  manner  of  their  reception  ?  The  women  having 
satisfied  their  curiosity  in  inquiries  about  the  strangers, 
immediately  began  to  load  them  with  abuse.  "  They 
even  spat  in  our  faces,"  says  M.  B.  "  and  pelted  us  with 
stones.  The  children,  too,  copying  their  example,  pinch- 
ed us,  pullefl  our  hair,  and  scratched  us  with  their  nails, 
whilst  their 'cruel  mothers  ordered  them  to  attack  some- 
times one  and  sometimes  another,  and  took  pletisure  in 
causing  them  to  torment  us." 


INHUMANITY    TO    SHIPWRECKED    MARINERS.  351 

They  were  compelled  to  work  at  the  most  fatiguing  and 
menial  employments,  and  beaten  with  severity  when  they 
did  not  exert  themselves  far  beyond  their  strength,  while 
they  were  denied  a  single  morsel  of  wholesome  food. 
"  As  we  were  Christians,"  says  the  Narrator,  "  the  dogs 
fared  better  than  we,  and  it  was  in  the  basons  destined 
for  their  use  that  we  received  our  allowance  :  our  food  was 
raw  snails,  and  herbs  and  plants  trodden  under  foot  by 
the  multitude."  In  this  manner  did  these  unfortunate 
travellers  drag  out  the  period  of  their  captivity  ;  some 
died  of  the  blows  and  harsh  treatment  they  received,  and 
others  died  of  hunger  and  despair.  M.  Brisson  one 
day  found  the  Captain  of  the  vessel,  in  a  neighbouring 
hamlet,  stretched  out  lifeless  upon  the  sand,  and  scarcely 
distinguishable  but  by  the  colour  of  his  body.  In  his 
mouth  he  held  one  of  his  hands,  which  his  great  weak- 
ness had  no  doubt  prevented  him  from  devouring.  He 
was  so  changed  by  hunger,  that  his  body  exhibited  the 
most  disgusting  appearance ;  all  his  features  being  abso- 
lutely effaced.  A  few  days  after,  tlie  second  captain,  hav- 
ing fallen  down  through  weakness  below  an  old  gum  tree, 
became  a  prey  to  the  attacks  of  a  monstrous  serpent. 
Some  famished  crows,  by  their  cries,  frightened  away  the 
venomous  animal,  and,  alighting  on  the  body  of  the  dying 
man,  were  tearing  him  to  pieces,  while  four  savage  mon- 
sters, in  human  shape,  still  more  cruel  than  the  furious  rep- 
tile, beheld  this  scene  without  offering  him  the  least  assis- 
tance. "  I  attempted  to  run  towards  him,"  says  M.  Bris- 
son, "  and  to  save  his  life,  if  possible,  but  the  barbarians 
stopped  me,  and  after  insulting  me,  said,  '  This  Christian 
will  soon  become  a  prey  to  the  flames.' "  The  bad  state 
of  health  of  this  unfortunate  man,  would  not  permit  him 
to  labour,  and  his  master  and  mistress  would  not  allow 
him  the  milk  necessary  for  his  subsistence. — Such  were 
the  scenes  of  inhumanity  and  of  cruelty,  which  M.  Bris- 
son witnessed,  during  the  whole  period  he  remained  in 
the  territories  of  these  barbarous  tribes.  They  present 
to  Our  view  so  many  pictures  of  abominable  selfishness 
and  even  of  pure  malevolence.  And  it  is  a  most  melfin- 
choly  reflection,  that  numerous  tribes  of  a  similar  de- 
scription are  spread  over  a  very  large  portion  of  the  habi- 
tablie  world.     I^  make:>  one  feel  degraded  when  he  re- 


352  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF     RELIGION. 

fleets,  that  he  is  related,  by  the  ties  of  a  comnjon  nature, 
to  beings  possessing  a  character  so  malignant  and  de- 
praved. 

I  shall  select  only  another  example,  illustrative  of  this  to- 
pic, extracted  from  the  travels  of  Mr.  Park.  This  enterpri- 
sing traveller  prosecuted  a  journey  of  many  hundred  miles 
in  the  interior  of  Africa,  for  the  most  part  on  foot,  and 
alone.  Sometimes,  his  way  lay  over  a  burning  sandy 
wilderness,  v.'here  he  found  little  to  alleviate  either  his 
hunger  or  his  thirst ;  and  sometimes  he  travelled  among 
woods  and  thickets,  and  across  rivers  and  marshes,  expos- 
ed to  wild  beasts,  and  without  any  path  to  guide  him. 
Though  the  Negroes  of  that  country  frequently  relieved 
his  wants  and  distresses,  yet  the  Moors  used  him  with 
great  cruelty  and  inhumanity,  so  that  he  hardly  escaped 
with  life.  The  chiefs  through  whose  territories  he  pass- 
ed, generally  exacted  a  tribute  from  him,  so  long  as  he 
had  any  thing  to  give,  and,  under  that  plea,  they  often 
robbed  him  of  all  the  articles  which  he  had  it  not  in  his 
power  to  conceal.  When  he  passed  through  the  town  of 
beena,  the  Moors  insulted  him  in  every  form  which  ma- 
lignity could  invent.  A  crowd  of  them  surrounded  the 
hut  in  which  he  lodged,  and,  besides  hissing  and  shout- 
ing, uttered  much  abusive  language.  Their  aim  seemed 
to  be  to  provoke  Park  to  make  retaliation,  that  they  might 
have  some  pretence  to  proceed  to  greater  outrages,  and  to 
rob  him  of  his  property.  Suspecting  their  intentions  he 
bore  all  with  the  greatest  patience,  and,  though  they  even 
spit  in  his  face,  he  showed  no  marks  of  resentment.  Dis- 
appointed in  their  aim,  they  had  recourse  to  an  argument 
common  among  the  Mahometans,  to  convince  them- 
selves that  they  had  a  right  to  whatever  the  stranger  might 
have  in  his  possession.  He  was  a  Christian.  They  open- 
ed his  bundles,  and  took  whatever  they  thought  might  be 
of  use,  and   whatever    suited  their  fancy. 

Having  been  kept  for  some  time  in  captivity  by  a  Moor- 
ish tribe,  they  not  only  robbed  him  of  the  few  articles 
which  were  still  in  his  possession,  but  insulted  and  op- 
pressed him  with  the  most  wanton  cruelty.  The  day  was 
passed  in  hunger  and  thirst ;  to  hunger  and  thirst  were 
added  the  malignant  insults  of  the  Moors,  of  whom  many 
visited  him,  whose  only  business  seemed  to  be  to  torment 


INHUMANITY    TOWARDS    TRAVELLERS.  353 

him.     He  always  saw  the  approach  of  the   evening  with 
pleasure  ;  it  terminated  another  day  of  his  miserable  exis- 
tence,  and  removed  from  him  his   troublesome   visitants. 
A  scanty  allowance  of  kouskous,*   and  of  salt  and  water, 
was  brought  him  generally  about  midnight.     This  scanty 
allowance  was  all  that  he  and  his  two  attendants  were  to 
expect  during  the  whole  of  the   ensuing  day.     "  I  was  a 
stranger,"  says   he,    "  I   was    unprotected,   and  I    was   a 
Christian  ;  each    of  these  circumstances    is   sufficient   to 
drive  every  spark  of  humanity  from  the   heart  of  a  Moor. 
Anxious,  however,  to  conciliate  favour,   and,   if  possible, 
to  afford  the  Moors  no  pretence  for  ill-treating  me,  I  read- 
ily comphed  with    every    command,    and    patiently  bore 
every    insult.     But  never  did  any  period   of  my  life  pass 
away  so  heavily.      From  sun-rise  to  sun-set,  was  I  obliged 
to  bear,  with  an  unruffled  countenance,  the  insults  of  the 
rudest  savages  upon  earth."     Having,   at  length,  made  his 
escape  from  these  barbarians,  he  declares,   "  It  is   impos- 
sible to   describe  the  joy  that  arose  in   my  mind,  when  1 
looked  around,  and  concluded  that  I  was  out  of  danger. 
1  felt  like  one  recovered  from  sickness.     I  breathed  freer ; 
I  found  unusual  lightness  in  my  limbs ;  even   the  desert 
looked  pleasant ;  and  I  dreaded  nothing  so  much  as  fall- 
ing in   with  some   wandering  parties  of  the  Moors,  who 
might   convey  me  back  to  the  land  of  thieves  and  mur- 
derers from  which  I  had  just  escaped." — Alas  !    what  a 
load  of  sorrow  and  of  misery  have   the  selfishness  and  in- 
humanity of  man  accumulated  upon  the  heads    of  forlorn 
and  unfortunate  sufferers  !   While  our  disconsolate   trav- 
eller,   after  his  escape,  was  wandering  in  an  unknown  de- 
sert, fainting  with  hunger,  and  parched  with   thirst,   sur- 
rounded with   pitchy  darkness,   which  was  only  relieved 
by  the  flashes  of  the   lightnings  ;  where  no  sounds  were 
heard  but  the  bowlings  of  wild  beasts,  and  tlie    rolling 
thunders  : — "  About  two  in   the  morning,"  says  he,   "  my 
horse  started  at  something,  and,  looking  round,  I  was  not 
a  little  surprised  to  see  a  light,  at  a  short  distance  among 
the  trees,   and  supposing  it  to  be  a  town,  I  groped  alono- 
the  sand,  in  hopes  of  finding  corn  stalks,  cotton,  or  other 


*  A  species  of  food  somewhat  resembling  Scotch  porridge. 
30 


3o4  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

appearances  of  cultivation,  but  found  none.  As  I  ap- 
proached, I  perceived  a  number  of  lights  in  other  places, 
and,  leading  my  horse  cautiously  towards  the  light,  I 
heard,  by  the  lowing  of  the  cattle,  and  the  clamorous 
lonfifues  of  the  herdsmen,  that  it  was  a  watering  place, 
and  most  likely  belonged  to  the  Moors.  Delightful  as  the 
sound  of  the  human  voice  was  to  me,  I  resolved  once 
more  to  strike  into  the  woods,  and  rather  run  the  risk  of 
perishing  with  hunger,  than  trust  myself  again  into  their 
hands." — It  is  a  most  affecting  consideration,  and  shows 
to  what  a  degree  of  malignity  human  beings  have  arrived, 
wlien  a  hungry,  houseless,  and  benighted  traveller  prefers 
to  flee  for  protection  to  the  haunts  of  the  beasts  of  prey, 
rather  than  commit  himself  to  the  tender  mercies  of  those 
who  are  partakers  of  the  same  common  nature,  and  who 
have  it  in  their  power  to  alleviate  his  distresses. 

Mr.  Park,  when  among  the  Moors,  was  forced  to  pass 
many  days,  almost  without  drink,  under  a  burning  climate, 
where,  to  a  European,  the  heat  is  almost  insafferable. 
His  raging  thirst  induced  him  to  run  every  risk,  and  to 
burst  through  every  restraint.  He  sent  his  boy  to  the 
wells  to  fill  the  skin  which  lie  had  for  holding  water  ;  but 
tlie  Moors  were  exasperated  that  a  Christian  should  pre- 
sume to  fill  his  vessel  at  wells  consecrated  to  the  use  of 
the  followers  of  Mahomet.  Instead,  therefore,  of  permit- 
ting the  boy  to  carry  away  water,  they  gave  him  many 
severe  blows  ;  and  this  mode  of  treatment  was  repeated 
as  often  as  an  attempt  was  made. — On  another  occasion, 
when  awaking  from  a  dream,  in  which,  during  his  broken 
slumbers,  his  fancy  had  transported  him  to  his  native 
country,  and  placed  him  on  the  verdant  brink  of  a  trans- 
parent rivulet,  and  perceiving  that  his  raging  thirst  had 
exposed  him  to  a  kind  of  fever,  he  resolved  to  expose 
himself  to  the  insults  of  the  Moors  at  the  wells,  in  hopes 
that  he  might  procure  a  small  supply.  When  he  arrived 
at  them  he  fo\md  the  Moors  drawing  water.  He  desired 
permission  to  drink,  but  was  driven  from  well  to  well  with 
reiterated  outrage.  At  length  he  found  one  well  where 
only  an  old  man  and  two  boys  drew  for  their  cattle.  He 
earnestly  begged  a  small  quantity.  The  old  man  drew 
the  bucket  from  the  well,  and  held  it  out.  Park  was  about 
eagerly  to  seize  it,  when   the  Moor,  recollecting  that  the 


INHUMANITY    TOWxVRDS    TRAVELLERS.  3o5 

slvanger  was  a  Christian,  instantly  threw  the  water  into  the 
trough,  where  the  cows  were  already  drinking,  and  told 
Park  to  drink  thence.  He  hesitated  not  for  a  moment, 
ilis  sullerings  made  even  this  offer  acceptable.  lie  thrnst 
liis  head  between  those  of  two  cows,  and,  with  feelings  of 
pleasure  which  can  be  experienced  only  by  those  who 
have  been  reduced  to  a  similar  state  of  wretchedness,  he 
continued  to  quench  liis  thirst  till  the  water  was  exhausted, 
and  "  till  the  cows  began  to  contend  with  each  otlier  for 
the  last  mouthful." 

In  this  instance,  we  can  partly  account  for  the  barbarity 
of  the  action,  from  the  inveterate  prejudices  which  all 
Mahometans  entertain  against  Christians ;  but  it  g^till  re- 
mains to  be  accounted  for,  why  any  one  should  refuse  to 
a  suffering  fellow-creature  the  common  bounties  of  Provi- 
dence, wliich  he  has  in  his  power  to  bestow,  however 
different  he  may  be  in  complexion,  in  national  character, 
or  in  the  religion  he  professes.  A  religion  which  encour- 
ages such  prejudices,  and  which  leads  to  such  inhumanity, 
must  be  an  abomination  in  the  sight  of  Him  who  has  a 
special  regard  to  the  wants  of  all  his  creatures,  and  who 
*'  sendeth  rain  to  refresh  the  fields  of  the  just  and  of  the 
unjust.''''  The  prevalence  of  such  characters  and  disposi- 
tions over  so  large  a  portion  of  the  world,  shows  that  the 
moral  constitution  of  man  has  suffered  a  sad  derangement 
since  the  period  when  he  proceeded  as  a  pure  intelligence, 
from  the  hands  of  lus  Creator. 

Such  incidents  as  those  to  which  I  have  now  adverted, 
when  properly  considered,  are  calculated  to  inspire  us 
with  contentment,  and  to  excite  to  gratitude  for  the  common 
blessings  which  we  enjoy  without  the  least  fear  of  dancer 
or  annoyance.  How  often  do  we  enjoy  the  refreshment 
of  a  delicious  beverage,  without  thinking  of  the  parched 
tongues  of  the  African  pilgrims ;  and  how  often  do  we 
spurn  at  a  wholesome  dish,  which  would  be  hailed  v,'ith 
transports  of  gratitude  by  the  houseless  and  hungry  wan- 
derer of  the  desert !  Yea,  how  many  are  there,  even  in 
our  civilized  country,  who  enjoy,  in  luxurious  abundance, 
all  the  blessings  which  nature  and  art  can  furnish,  who 
never  once  acknowledge,  with  heart-felt  gratitude,  the 
jTOodness  of  Him  "  who  daily  loads  them  with  his  bene- 
Idts,''  nor  reflect  on  the  wants    and  the  sufferings  of  their 


356  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

fellow-men  !  Mr.  Park,  when  oppressed  with  hunger  and 
fatigue,  applied,  at  the  chief  magistrate's  house,  in  a  vil- 
lage named  Shrilla,  for  some  relief,  but  was  denied  ad- 
mittance. He  passed  slowly  through  the  village  till  he 
came  without  the  walls,  where  he  saw  an  old  motherly- 
looking  woman  at  the  door  of  a  mean  hut.  She  set  be- 
fore him  a  dish  of  boiled  corn,  that  had  been  left  the  pre- 
ceding night,  on  which  he  made  a  tolerable  meal.  "  Over- 
come with  joy,"  says  Park,  "  at  so  unexpected  a  deliv- 
erance, I  lifted  up  my  eyes  to  heaven,  and,  while  my 
heart  swelled  with  gratitude,  I  returned  thanks  to  that 
gracious  and  bountiful  Being,  whose  power  had  support- 
ed me  under  so  many  dangers,  and  had  now  spread  for  me 
a  table  in  the  wilderness." 

When  Mr.  Park  was  returning  from  the  interior  of 
Africa,  he  was  encountered  by  a  party  of  armed  negroes, 
who  led  him  into  a  dark  place  of  the  forest  through  which 
he  was  passing,  and  stripped  him  entirely  naked,  taking 
from  him  every  thing  which  he  possessed,  except  an  old 
shirt  and  a  [)air  of  trowsers.  He  begged  them  to  return 
his  pocket  compass  ;  but,  instead  of  complying  with  his 
request,  one  of  them  assured  him,  that,  if  he  attempted 
10  touch  that,  or  any  other  article,  he  would  immediately 
shoot  him  dead  on  the  spot.  He  was  thus  left  in  the 
midst  of  a  vast  wilderness,  in  the  depth  of  the  rainy  sea- 
son, naked  and  alone,  without  food,  and  without  the 
means  of  procuring  it  ;  surrounded  by  savage  animals, 
and  by  men  still  more  savage,  and  500  miles  from  the 
nearest  European  settlement.  "  All  these  circumstan- 
ces," says  this  intrepid  traveller,  "  crowded  at  once  on 
my  recollection,  and,  I  confess,  my  spirits  began  to  fail 
mc.  I  considered  that  I  had  no  other  alternative,  but  to 
lie  down  and  die.  The  influence  of  religion,  however, 
aided  and  supported  me.  At  this  moment,  painful  as  my 
reflections  were,  the  extraordinary  beauty  of  a  small  moss 
irresistibly  caught  my  eye.  Can  that  Being,  thought  I, 
who  planted,  watered,  and  brought  to  perfection,  in  this 
obscure  part  of  the  \vorld,  a  thing  which  appears  of  so 
small  importance,  look  with  unconcern  on  the  situation 
and  sufierings  of  creatures  formed  after  his  own  image  ? 
Surely  not.  Reflections  like  these  would  not  allow  me 
to  despair.     I  started   up,   and,  disregarding  both  hunger 


jt)lSl!"IGUIlING    OF    THE    HUMAN    BGPV.  357 

and  fatigue,  travelled  forwards,  assured  that  relief  was  at 
hand,  and  I  was  not  disappointed."  Thus  was  this  un- 
fortunate adventurer  delivered,  by  the  care  of  providence, 
from  those  accumulated  distresses  which  had  been  brought 
upon  him  by  the  malignity  and  inhumanity  of  man. 

Such  are  a  few  specimens  of  the  inhumanity  displayed 
by  uncivilized  tribes  towards  strangers,  and  unfortunate 
voyagers  and  travellers.  They  exhibit  dispositions  and ' 
conduct  directly  repugnant  to  every  principle  of  benevo- 
lence, and  present  to  our  view  a  gloomy  prospect  of  the 
difficulties  and  dangers  to  be  surmounted  by  philanthropic 
missionaries,  before  the  habitable  world  can  be  thoroughly 
explored,  and  before  the  blessings  of  knowledge,  civiliza- 
tion, and  religion  can  be  communicated  to  the  benighted 
and  depraved  tribes  of  mankind. 


MALEVOLENT    DISPOSITIONS,    AS    DISPLAYED  IN    DISFIGURING 
THE    HUMAN    BODY. 


The  human  frame,  when  preserved  in  its  original  state, 
is  one  of  the  finest  pieces  of  mechanism  which  the  mind 
can  contemplate.  In  beauty,  in  symmetry,  in  the  harmo- 
ny and  proportion  of  all  its  parts  and  functions,  it  ie  su- 
perior to  the  organical  structures  of  all  the  other  ranks  of 
sensitive  existence.  There  is  no  part  imperfect  or  deform- 
ed, no  part  defective,  and  no  part  useless  or  redundant. 
All  its  members  are  so  constructed  and  arranged  as  to  con- 
tribute to  the  beauty  and  perfection  of  the  whole,  and  to 
the  happiness  of  the  intelligent  mind  by  which  it  is  gov- 
erned and  directed.  In  combination  with  the  power  of 
thought  and  volition,  and  when  unstained  by  malignant 
passions,  it  is  a  visible  representative  of  the  Creator,  hav- 
ing been  formed  after  his  image  ;  and  it  displays,  in  a 
most  striking  manner,  the  wisdom  and  the  goodness  of  its 
Almighty  Maker.  But,  notwithstanding  the  acknowledg- 
ed excellence  of  the  human  frame,  it  has  been  the  prac- 
tice of  the  degraded  tribes  of  mankind,  in  almost  every 
country,  and  m  every  age,  to  disfigure  its  structure,  and 
to  deface  its  beauty  ;  as  if  the  Creator,  when  he  formed 
it,  had  been  deficient  in  intelligence  and  in  benevolent 
30* 


358  THE  PHILOSOPHY   OF   RELIGION. 

design.  Such  practices,  I  am  disposed  to  think,  iinply  a 
principle  of  malevolence  directed  towards  the  Creator,  and 
a  disposition  to  find  fault  with  his  wise  contrivances,  and 
arrangements.  At  any  rate,  they  display  a  degree  of  igno- 
rance and  folly,  a  vitiated  taste,  and  a  degradation  of  mind, 
inconsistent  with  the  dignity  of  a  rational  intelligence. — 
The  following  facts  will,  perhaps,  tend  to  illustrate  these 
remarks  : — 

Condamine,    when   describing    the    natives    of    South 
America,  informs  us,  that   the   Omaguas,   and  some  other 
savages^  flatten  the  faces  of  their  children,  by  lacing  their 
heads  between  two  boards  ;  that  others  pierce  the  nostrils, 
lips,  or  cheeks,  and  place  in  them   feathers,  the  bones  of 
fishes,   and   similar  ornaments ; — and  that  the    savages  of 
Brazil  pull  the  hair  out  of  their  beards,  their  eye-brows,  and 
all  parts  of  their  bodies,  which  makes  them  have  an  uncom- 
mon, and  a  ferocious  appearance.       Their  under-lip    they 
pierce,  and,  as  an  ornament,  insert  into  it  a  green  stone,  or 
a  small  polished  bone.    Immediately  after  birth  the  mothers 
flatten  the  noses  of  their   children.       The  whole  of  them 
go    absolutely   naked,    and   paint  their  bodies  of  difierent 
colours. — Captain   Cook  informs   us,  that,  in   JNcw  Zea- 
land, both  sexes  mark  their  faces   and  bodies  with  black 
stains,  similar  to  the  tattooing  in  Otaheite.     The  men,  par- 
ticularly, add  new  stains  every  year,  so  that,  in  an  advanced 
period  of  life,  they  are  almost  covered  from  head  to  foot. 
Besides  this,    they  have    marks    impressed,  by  a  method 
unknown  to  us,  of  a  very  extraordinary  kind.      They    are 
furrows  of  about  a  line  deep,   and  a  line  broad,   such  as 
appear    upon    the    bark    of   a    tree    which    has    been  cut 
through  after  a  year's  growth.      The  edges  of  these  fur- 
rows are  afterwards  indented   by  the  same   method,   and, 
being  perfectly  black,  they  make  a  most  frightful   appear- 
ance.    Both  sexes  bore  their  ears  :  they  gradually  stretch 
the  holes  till  they  are  so  large  as  to  admit  a  finger.     Into 
these   holes  they  put    feathers,    coloured  cloth,  bones  of 
birds,  twigs  of  wood,  and  frequently  the  nails  which  they 
received  from  the  ships. — The  same  voyager,   when  de- 
scribing the  New  Hollanders,   tells   us, — "  Their  chief  or- 
nament is  a  bone,   which  is  thrust  through  a    hole    bored 
in  th6  tartilage  which  divides  the  nostrils.      This   bone  is 
as  thick'  as  a  man's  finger,  and  six  inches  in  length.      It 


DISFIGURING    01    THE    HUMAN    BODY.  d59 

reaches  quite  across  the  face,  and  so  effectually  stops  np 
both  nostrils,  that  they  are  forced  to  keep  their  mouths 
wide  open  for  breath,  and  snuffle  so  when  they  attempt  to 
speak,  that  they  are  scarcely  intelligible  to  each  other. 
Our  seamen,  with  some  humour,  called  it  their  sprit  sail 
yard;  and  indeed  it  had  so  ludicrous  an  appearance,  that, 
till  we  were  used  to  it,  we  found  it  difficult  to  restrain 
from  laughter."  He  also  describes  a  custom  of  a  peculiar 
nature  which  prevails  in  the  Friendly  Islands.  "  The 
greater  part  of  the  inhabitants,  both  male  and  female, 
were  observed  to  have  lost  one  or  both  of  their  little  fin- 
gers. This  custom  seemed  not  to  be  characteristic  of  rank, 
of  age,  or  of  sex ;  for,  with  the  exception  of  some  young 
children,  very  few  people  were  discovered  in  whom  both 
hands  were  perfect.  They  likewise  burn  or  make  inci- 
sions in  their  cheeks." 

All  the  eastern  nations   are   said  to  have  a  predilection 
for  long  ears.     Some  draw  the  lobe  of  the  ear,  in  order  to 
stretch  it  to  a  greater  length,  and   pierce  it   so  as  to  allow 
the  admission  of  an   ordinary  pendant.     The  natives  of 
Laos  so  prodigiously  \viden  the  holes  in  their  ears,  that 
a  man's  hand  may  be   thrust   through  them.     Hence,  the 
ears  of  these  people  often  descend  to  the  tops  of  their 
shoulders.*     Gentil   assures   us,    that  the   women,   in  the 
northern  parts  of  China,  employ  every  art   in   order  to  di- 
minish their  eyes.     For  this  purpose,  the  girls,  instructed 
by  their    mothers,  extend  their  eye-lids  continually,  with 
the  view  of  miaking  their  eyes  oblong-  and  small.     These 
properties,  in  the  estimation  of  the   Chinese,  when  joined 
to  a  flat  nose,  and  large,  open,  pendulous  ears,  constitute 
the    perfection  of    beauty. — We   are  informed   by   Struys, 
that  the  women   of  Siam  wear  so   large  and   heavy  pen- 
dants in  their  ears,  that  the  holes  gradually  become  wide 
enough  to   admit  a  man's  thumb.     The  natives   of  New 
Holland  pull  out  the  two  fore-teeth  of  the  upper  jaw.     In 
Calicut,  there  is   a  band  of   nobles  called  Naires,  who 
lengthen  their  ears  to  such  a  degree,  that  they  hang  down 
to  their  shoulders,  and  sometimes   even  lower. t     The  A- 


*  Smellie's  Philosophy  of  Natural  History,  Vol.  II.    f  Ibid. 


860  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

rabs  paint  their  lips,  arms,  and  the  most  conspicuous  parts 
of  their  bodies,  with  a  deep  blue  colour.  This  paint, 
which  they  lay  on  in  little  dots,  and  make  it  penetrate  the 
flesh,  by  puncturing  the  skin  with  needles,  can  never  be 
eflaced.  Some  of  the  Asiatics  paint  their  eye-brows  of  a 
black  colour,  and  others  eradicate  the  hairs  with  rusma, 
and  paint  artificial  eye-brows,  in  the  form  of  a  black  cres- 
cent, which  gives  them  an  uncommon  and  ugly  appearance. 
The  inhabitants  of  Prince  William's  Sound,  paint  their 
faces  and  hands,  bore  their  ears  and  noses,  and  slit  their 
under  lips.  In  the  holes  made  in  their  noses,  they  hang 
pieces  of  bone  or  ivory,  which  are  often  two  or  three  inch- 
es long ;  and,  in  the  slit  of  the  lip,  they  place  a  bone  or 
ivory  instrument  with  holes  in  it,  from  which  they  suspend 
beads  that  reach  below  the  chin.  These  holes  in  the  lip 
disfigure  them  greatly,  for  some  of  them  are  as  large  as 
their  mouths.* 

Such  distortions  of  the  beautiful  structure  of  the  human 
frame,  are  not  peculiar  to  the  savage  tribes  of  the  human 
race,  but  are  practised  by  nations  which  have  made  con- 
siderable advances  in  science  and  civilization.  It  is  well 
known  that,  in  China,  a  ridiculous  custom  prevails,  of  ren- 
dering the  feet  of  their  females  so  small,  that  they  can 
with  difficulty  support  their  bodies.  This  is  deemed  a 
principal  part  of  their  beauty  ;  and  no  swathing  nor  com- 
pression is  omitted,  when  they  are  young,  to  give  them 
this  fancied  accomplishment.  Every  woman  of  fashion, 
and  every  M^oman  who  wishes  to  be  reckoned  handsome, 
must  have  her  feet  so  small,  that  they  could  easily  enter 
the  shoe  of  a  child  of  six  years  of  age.  The  great  toe  is 
the  only  one  left  to  act  with  freedom  ;  the  rest  are  doub- 
led down  under  the  foot,  in  their  tendcrest  infancy,  and 
restrained  by  tight  bandages,  till  they  unite  with,  and  are 
buried  in  the  sole.  I  have  inspected  a  model  of  a  Chi- 
nese lady's  foot,  exactly  of  this  description,  which,  I  was 
assured,  was  taken  from  life.  The  length  was  only  two 
inches  and  three-fourths  ;  the  breadth  of  the  base  of  the 
heel,  seven-eighths  of  an  inch  ;  the  breadth  of  the  broad- 
est part  of  the  foot,  one  and  one-fourth  of  an  inch  ;  and 


*  Portlock's  Voyage  round  the  World. 


DI8FI0URING    OF    THE    HUM.W    BODY.  361 

rhe  diameter  of  the  ankle,  three  inches  above  the  heel, 
one  and  seven  eighths  of  an  inch.  AVith  feet  of  this  des- 
cription the  Chinese  ladies  may  be  said  rather  to  totter 
than  to  walk  ;  and,  by  such  practices,  they  evidently 
frustrate  the  benevolent  intentions  of  the  Creator,  and  put 
themselves  to  unnecessary  inconvenience  and  pain.  Yet 
such  is  the  powerful  influence  of  fashion,  however  absurd 
and  ridiculous,  that  women  of  the  middling  and  inferior 
classes  frequently  suffer  their  feet  to  be  thus  maimed  and 
distorted,  in  order  to  ape  the  unnatural  customs  of  their 
superiors. 

We  have  every  reason  to  believe,  that  the  harsh  and 
ugly  features,  and  the  ferocious  aspect,  by  which  numer- 
ous tribes  of  mankind  are  distinguished,  are  owing  to  such 
voluntary  distortions  of  the  human  frame,  and  to  the  filthy 
and  abominable  practices  in  which  they  indulge.  Father 
Tertre  assures  us,  that  the  flat  noses  of  the  negroes  are 
occasioned  by  a  general  practice  of  mothers,  who  depress 
the  noses  of  their  new-born  infants,  and  squeeze  their 
lips,  in  order  to  thicken  them  ;  and  that  those  children 
who  escape  these  operations  have  elevated  noses,  thin 
lips,  and  fine  features. — It  is  somewhat  unaccountable, 
and  it  shows  the  perversity  of  the  human  mind,  in  its  pre- 
sent degraded  state,  th^t  such  practices  should  be  so  gen- 
eral, and  so  obstinately  persisted  in,  when  we  consider 
the  pain  and  inconvenience  with  which  they  are  attended. 
— To  pull  the  hairs  of  the  chin  or  eye-brows  from  the 
roots  :  to  slit  the  under  lip,  till  the  incision  be  as  large  as 
one's  mouth  ;  to  pierce  the  nostrils,  till  a  bone  as  large  as 
a  man's  finger  can  be  thrust  through  them  ;  and  to  cover 
the  body  with  black  streaks,  which  make  the  blood  to 
flow  at  every  stroke  of  the  instrument  by  which  they  are 
produced,  must  be  attended  with  excruciating  pain.  Sir 
Joseph  Banks,  who  accompanied  Captain  Cook  in  his  first 
voyage,  was  present,  in  the  island  of  Otaheite,  at  the  op- 
eration of  tattooing,  performed  on  the  back  of  a  girl  of 
thirteen  years  of  age.  The  instrument  used  had  twenty 
teeth  ;  and  at  each  stroke,  which  was  repeated  every  mo- 
ment, issued  an  ichor  or  serum,  tinged  with  blood.  The 
girl  bore  the  pain  with  great  resolution,  for  some  minutes, 
till,  at  length,  it  became  so  intolerable,  that  she  burst  out 
into  violent  exclamations  ;   but  the  operator,  notwithstand- 


362  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

ing  the  most  earnest  entreaties  to  desist,  was  inexorabk*, 
while  two  women,  who  attended  upon  the  occasion,  both 
chid  and  beat  her  for  stnigghng. 

I  am  therefore  disposed  to  view  such  absurd  and  bar- 
barous practices,  as  intimately  connected  with  the  opera- 
lion  of  a  principle  of  malevolence,  as  an  attempt  to  frus- 
trate the  wise  designs  of  divine  benevolence,  and  as  di- 
rectly repugnant  to  the  spirit  of  Christianity,  and  to  the 
benevolent  precepts  of  the  gospel  of  peace.  And  it  be- 
comes some  of  the  ladies,  and  the  dandies  of  ^nodern  Eu- 
rope to  consider,  whether  some  of  their  awkward  attempts 
to  improve  the  symmetry  of  the  human  frame  ought  not 
to  be  viewed  in  the  same  light.  Not  many  years  ago,  it 
was  considered,  in  the  higher  circles  of  society,  as  an  ad- 
mirable improvement  of  the  female  form,  to  give  the 
lower  half  of  the  body  the  appearance  of  the  frustum  of 
a  large  tun,  as  if  it  had  been  ten  times  the  capacity  of  its 
natural  size,  by  supporting  their  robes  with  enormous 
hoops  ; — and,  about  the  same  period,  the  lower  ranks  of 
female  society  considered  it  as  the  perfection  of  propor- 
tion and  beauty,  to  have  their  waists  compressed  into  the 
smallest  possible  space,  till  the  vital  functions,  in  many 
instances,  were  deranged,  and  ultimately  destroyed. 
Were  the  dictates  of  sound  reason  universally  attended 
to,  and  were  the  influence  of  Christianity  fully  felt  among 
all  nations,  tlie  preposterous  and  savage  practices  to  which 
1  have  now  adverted,  would  not  only  be  discontinued,  but 
held  in  abhorrence.  And  were  such  customs  completely 
abohshed,  we  might  soon  expect  to  behold,  among  all  the 
tribes  of  mankind,  every  distortion  of  the  features  of  the 
countenance  removed,  and  the  human  form  restored  to  its 
original  beauty  and  perfection.  Instead  of  a  warlike  vi- 
sage, and  a  ferocious  aspect,  and  the  frightful  appearance 
of  naked  savages,  streaked  with  colours  of  black  and  blue, 
we  should  behold,  in  every  land,  every  countenance  beam- 
ing with  the  radiations  of  benevolence,  and  reflecting  the 
moral  imajrc  of  the  Creator. 


363 


MALEVOLENCE     AS      IT      APPEARS      IN      THE      RELIGION      OF 
SAVAGE    TRIBES. 


There  is  scarcely  a  nation  on  the  surface  of  the  globe 
but  what  appears  to  have  some  impressions  of  the  exist- 
ence of  a  Superior  Power,  and  to  have  formed  a  system 
of  religious  worship.  But,  it  is  a  striking  fact,  that, 
among  the  greater  portion  of  human  beings,  their  religious 
notions,  and  their  sacred  rites,  instead  of  breathing  a 
spirit  of  kindness  and  benevolence  towards  their  fellow- 
creatures,  are  blended  with  a  principle .  of  hatred  and  re- 
venge. This  might  be  illustrated  by  an  induction  of  a 
great  variety  of  instances,  in  reference  to  almost  every  un- 
civilized portion  of  the  human  race.  I  shall  content  my- 
self, however,  with  stating  only  one  instance,  in  refer- 
ence to  the  Nesserie^  a  tribe  not  much  known  in  Europe, 
and  which  may  serve  as  an  example  of  many  others. 

The  territory  of  this  people  extends  from  Antioch  near- 
ly to  Tripoli.  They  occupy  almost  all  the  mountains  to 
the  east  of  Latakia,  and  a  great  part  of  the  plain.  Among 
them  is  perceived  a  mixture  of  the  religious  usages  of  Pa- 
ganism, of  the  Jewish  law,  of  that  of  Mahomet  and  Ali, 
and  of  some  dogmas  of  the  Christian  Religion. — The  wo- 
men are  considered  as  a  part  of  the  domestic  animals  of 
the  house,  and  treated  as  slaves.  They  have  no  idea  of 
religion,  and  when  they  are  bold  enough  to  inquire  of 
their  masters  concerning  it,  the  latter  answ'er  them,  that 
their  religion  is,  to  be  charged  with  the  reproduction  of 
the  species,  and  to  be  subject  to  the  will  of  their  husbands. 
— The  Nesserie  say  their  prayers  at  midnight,  and  before 
sun-set.  They  may  say  them  either  sitting,  standing,  or 
walking ;  but  they  are  obliged  to  begin  again  repeating 
their  ablution,  if  they  speak  to  a  person  not  of  their  reli- 
gion,— if  they  perceive,  either  near  or  at  a  distance,  a  camel, 
a  pig,  a  har.e,  or  a  negro.  In  their  prayers,  they  curse 
the  man  who  shaves  below  the  chin,  him  who  is  impo- 
tent, and  the  two  Caliphs,  Omar  and  Abou-Bekr.  They 
detest  the  Turks,  to  whom  they  are  sworn  enemies.  This 
warlike  people  of  mountaineers  would  be  strong  enough 
to  shako  off  the  yoke  of  the  Turks,   and  live  independent-. 


364  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

ly,  if  they  were  not  divided  by  interested  motives,  almost 
all  occasioned  by  implacable  family  hatreds.  They  are 
vindictive,  and  cherish  their  rancour  for  a  length  of  time  : 
even  the  death  of  the  guilty  person  cannot  assuage 
their  fury  ;  their  vengeance  is  incomplete,  if  it  does  not 
fall  besides  on  one  or  several  members  of  his  family. 
They  are  so  obstinately  superstitious  in  their  attachment 
to  their  peculiar  system,  that  no  threats,  nor  punishments 
can  extort  from  them  the  secrets  of  their  religion.* 

Here,  then,  we  are  presented  with  a  system  of  Religion, 
which  appears  to  be  founded  on  malevolence, — which 
directs  its  devotees  to  curse  their  fellow-men — which 
leads  them  to  keep  their  women  in  profound  ignorance  of 
every  thing  which  they  hold  sacred — which  induces  them 
to  conceal  its  mysteries  from  all  the  rest  of  the  world — 
and  which,  in  so  far  from  producing  any  beneficial  effects 
on  their  own  conduct,  leads  to  "  implacable  family  ha- 
treds." A  religion,  unless  it  be  founded  on  a  principle  of 
benevolence,  is  unworthy  of  the  name  ;  it  must  be  an  ab- 
horrence in  the  sight  of  God,  and  can  never  communicate 
happiness  to  man.  And  were  we  to  examine  the  various 
religious  systems  which  prevail  in  the  numerous  islands 
of  the  Indian  and  Pacific  oceans,  in  Cabul,  Tibet,  and 
Hindostan,  and  among  the  uncivilized  tribes  which  are 
scattered  over  a  large  portion  of  Asia  and  of  Africa,  we 
should  find  them,  not  only  blended  with  malevolent  prin- 
ciples and  maxims,  but  sanctioning  the  perpetration  of 
deeds  of  cruelty,  obscenity  and  horror. 


In  the  preceding  pages,  I  have  endeavoured  to  illustrate 
some  of  the  prominent  features  in  the  moral  character  of 
the  savage  and  uncivilized  tribes  of  the  human  race.  The 
examples  I  have  selected  have  not  been  taken  from  the 
records  of  Missionaries,  or  of  professed  Religionists,  who 
might  be  suspected  by  some,  to  give  an  exaggerated  de- 
scription of  the  depravity  of  the  Pagan  world — but  from 
the  unvarnished  statements  of  respectable  voyagers   and 


*  See  Dupont's  "  Memoirs  of  the  Manners  and  Religious  Ceremo- 
nies of  the  Nesserie,"  a  work  lately  {)ublish';d. 


MORAL    STATE    OF    CIVILIZED    NATIONS.  365 

travellers,  who  could  have  no  motives  for  misrepresenting 
the  facts  which  they  have  recorded.  These  illustrations 
might  have  been  extended  to  a  much  greater  length,  had 
it  been  consistent  with  the  limited  nature  of  the  present 
work.  Instead  of  occupying  only  forty  or  fifty  pages,  they 
might  have  been  extended  so  as  to  have  filled  as  many 
volumes  ;  for  every  book  of  travels,  as  well  as  every  his- 
torical document,  contains  a  record  of  the  operations  of 
malignity,  and  of  the  diversified  modes  in  which  human 
depravity  is  displayed.  The  dispositions  which  I  have 
illustrated,  it  will  be  readily  admitted,  are  all  of  a  malig- 
nant character,  directly  repugnant  to  that  benevolent  prin- 
ciple which  forms  the  basis  of  the  moral  laws  of  the  uni- 
verse. And  when  we  consider,  that  such  malevolent  dir^j 
positions  are  displayed  by  a  mass  of  human  beings,  amount- 
ing to  more  than  three  fourths  of  the  population  of  the 
globe,  and  that  true  happiness  cannot  be  experienced 
where  malignant  passions  reign  uncontrolled,  a  benevolent 
mind  cannot  refrain  from  indulging  a  thousand  melancholy 
reflections,  when  it  casts  its  eye  over  the  desolations  of 
the  moral  world,  and  from  forming  an  anxious  wish,  that 
the  period  may  soon  arrive,  when  the  darkness  which 
covers  the  nation  shall  be  dispelled,  and  when  benevo- 
lence and  peace  shall  reign  triumphant  over  all  the  earth, 

I  shall  now  endeavour  to  present  a  few  facts  and  sketch- 
es which  may  have  a  tendency  to  illustrate  the  present 
state,  and  the  moral  character  and  aspect  of  the  civilised 
world. 


SECTION  III. 

Morai  state  of  Civilized  Nations 

The  present  population  of  the  globe  may  be  estimated 
at  about  800  millions.  Of  these,  if  we  except  the  em- 
pires of  China  and  Hindostan,  we  cannot  reckon  above 
180  millions  as  existing  in  a  state  of  enlightened  civiliza- 
tion ;  a  number  which  is  less  than  the  fourth  part  of  the^hu- 
man  race.  Were  even  this  small  portion  of  mankind  uni- 
formly distinguished  for  intelligence,  and  for  the  practice 
31 


366  THE    PHILOSOPHY   OF   RELIGION. 

of  benevolence,  it  would  form  a  glorious  picture  for  the 
philanthropist  to  contemplate  ;  and  would  be  a  sure  pre- 
lude of  the  near  approach  of  that  happy  period,  when  "  all 
the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  remember  and  turn  to  the  Lord, 
when  all  the  kindreds  of  the  nations  shall  do  homage  unto 
him,  and  when  there  shall  be  nothing  to  hurt  nor  destroy" 
among  all  the  families  of  mankind.  But  alas  !  when  we 
investigate  the  moral  state  even  of  this  portion  of  human 
beings,  we  find  the  principle  of  malignity  distinctly  visible 
in  its  operations,  and  interwoven,  in  numerous  and  mi- 
nute ramifications,  through  all  the  ranks  and  gradations  of 
society.  Though  its  shades  are  less  dark  and  gloomy,  they 
are  no  less  real  than  among  the  hordes  of  Africa  and  Tar- 
tary,  and  the  other  abodes  of  savage  life.  To  illustrate 
this  position  is  the  object  of  the  following  sketches  ;  in 
which  I  shall  chiefly  refer  to  the  state  of  society  among 
the  nations  of  Europe,  and  the  United  States  of  America, 
and  particularly  to  the  moral  character  and  aspect  of  the 
British  empire. 

I  shall,  in  the  first  place,  consider  the  operation  of  the 
malevolent  principle  as  it  appears  in  the  actions  and  dis- 
positions of  the  young,  and  in  the  modes  of  tuition  by  which 
they  are  trained. 

In  many  thousands  of  instances,  it  may  be  observed, 
that,  even  before  a  child  has  been  weaned  from  its  moth- 
er's breasts,  malignant  dispositions  are  not  only  fostered, 
but  are  regularly  taught  both  by  precept  and  example. 
Does  a  child  happen  to  hit  its  head  accidentally  against 
the  corner  of  a  table — it  is  taught  by  its  nurse,  and  even 
by  its  mother,  to  avenge  the  injury  on  the  inanimate  ob- 
ject which  caused  it,  and  to  exhibit  its  prowess  and  its  re- 
venge by  beating  the  table  with  all  its  might.  Does  it 
cry,  through  peevishness  or  pain — it  is  immediately  threat- 
ened with  being  thrown  into  the  ditch,  tossed  out  of  the 
window,  or  committed  to  the  charge  of  some  frightful 
spectre.  Is  it  expedient  to  repress  its  murmurings,  and  to 
cajole  it  into  obedience — it  is  then  inspired  with  fallacious 
hopes,  and  allured  with  deceitful  prcfmises  of  objects  and 
of  pleasures  which  are  never  intended  to  be  realized. 
Does  it  require  to  have  its  physical  powers  exercised — a 
wooden  sword  or  a  whip  is  put  into  its  hands  ;  and  it  is 
encouraged  to  display  its  energies  in  inflicting  strokes  on 


MORAL    STATE    OF    CIVILIZED   NATIONS.  367 

a  dog,  a  cat,  or  any  of  its  play-fellows  or  companions.  I 
have  seen  a  little  urcliin  of  this  description,  three  or  four 
years  of  age,  brandishing  its  wooden  sword  with  all  the 
ardour  of  a  warrior,  and  repeating  its  strokes  on  every  per- 
son around,  while  the  foolish  parents  were  exulting  in  the 
prowess  displayed  by  their  little  darling,  and  encouraging 
it  in  all  its  movements.  By  these  and  similar  practices, 
revenge,  falsehood,  superstition,  and  the  elements  of  war, 
are  fostered  in  the  youthful  mind ;  and  is  it  to  be  wonder- 
ed at,  that  such  malignant  principles  and  passions  should 
*'  grow  with  their  growth,  and  strengthen  with  their 
strength,"  till  they  burst  forth  in  all  those  hideous  forms 
which  they  assume  amidst  the  contests  of  communities 
and  of  nations  ? — The  false  maxims  by  which  children  are 
frequently  trained  under  the  domestic  roof,  and  the  fool- 
ish indulgence  with  which  they  are  treated  by  injudicious 
parents,  in  too  many  instances  lay  the  foundation  of  those 
petulant  and  malignant  tempers,  which  are  a  pest  both  to 
Christian  and  to  general  society.  Indulgence  often  leads 
to  an  opposite  extreme  ;  and  produces  such  a  degree  of 
insubordination  among  the  young,  that  nothing  is  to  be 
seen  and  heard  but  a  perpetual  round  of  scolding  and 
beating,  and  the  contest  of  angry  passions.  "  Among  the 
lower  ranks  of  people,"  says  Dr.  Witherspoon,  "  who  are 
under  no  restraint  from  decency,  you  may  sometimes  see 
a  father  or  mother  running  out  into  the  street,  after  a 
child  who  has  fled  from  them,  with  looks  of  fury  and 
words  of  execration,  and  they  are  often  stupid  enough  to 
imagine  that  neighbours  or  passengers  will  approve  them 
in  this  conduct."  Wherever  parental  authority  is  thus 
undermined,  and  such  conduct  uniformly  pursued,  a  sure 
foundation  is  laid  for  an  extensive  display,  in  after  life,  of 
the  malignant  passions  of  the  human  heart. 

If  we  follow  our  youth  from  the  nursery  to  the  school- 
room^ we  shall  find  the  same  malevolent  affections  devel- 
oping themselves  on  a  larger  scale,  and  indirectly  cher- 
ished, by  the  books  they  read,  the  discipline  by  which 
they  are  trained,  and  the  amusements  in  which  they  indulge. 
Here  we  may  behold  one  little  fellow  taking  a  malicious 
pleasure  in  pinching  his  neighbour,  another  in  kicking 
him,  a  third  in  boxing  him,  a  fourth  in  tearing  his  book,  a 
fifth  in   pilfering  his  property,  and  a  sixth  in  endeavour- 


368  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF  RELIGION. 

ing  to  hold  him  up  to  scorn  and  ridicule  ;  and  all  of  them 
combined  to  frustrate,  if  possible,  the  exertions  of  their 
teacher,  and  to  prevent  their  own  improvement. — If  we 
look  into  the  majority  of  the  hooks  which  are  read  in 
schools,  we  shall  find  them  full  of  encomiums  upon  war^ 
and  upon  warriors.  The  Cesars,  the  Alexanders,  and  the 
Buonapartes,  whose  restless  ambition  has  transformed  the 
earth  into  scenes  of  desolation  and  carnage,  are  represent- 
ed as  patterns  of  every  thing  that  is  brave,  noble,  gener- 
ous, and  heroic.  The  descriptive  powers  of  the  poet  are 
also  called  in,  in  order  to  inflame  the  youthful  mind  with 
warlike  dispositions,  and  to  excite  an  ardent  desire  for 
mingling  in  scenes  of  contention,  and  for  the  acquisition 
of  false  glory  and  of  military  renown.  Hence,  there  is 
no  part  of  their  school-exercises  in  which  the  young  so 
much  delight,  and  in  which  they  so  much  excel,  as  in  that, 
in  which  they  are  called  upon  to  recite  such  speeches  as 
"  Sempronius's  speech  for  war,"  or  to  ape  the  revengeful 
encounter  of  Norval  and  Glenalvon.  While  the  spirit  of 
war  is  thus  virtually  cherished,  the  counteraction  of  vi- 
cious propensities,  and  the  cultivation  of  the  moral  powers 
of  the  young,  are  considered  as  a  matter  of  inferior  im- 
portance, and,  in  many  seminaries  of  instruction,  are  al- 
together overlooked.  Many  of  the  school-collections  to 
which  I  allude — instead  of  exhibiting,  in  simple  language, 
the  beauties  and  sublimities  of  the  works  of  nature,  the 
displays  of  the  natural  and  moral  character  of  the  Deity, 
the  facts  of  Sacred  History,  the  morality  of  the  Gospel, 
the  scenes  of  rural  and  domestic  life,  and  the  operations 
of  philanthropy — are  filled  with  extracts  from  metaphysi- 
cal writers,  from  parliamentary  debates,  and  from  old  plays, 
novels  and  farces,  which  are  frequently  interlarded  with 
oaths,  obscenity,  and  the  slang  of  Billingsgate,  which  can 
have  no  other  tendency  than  to  pollute  and  demoralize 
the  youthful  mind.  It  needs,  therefore,  excite  no  sur- 
prise, that  the  great  body  of  mankind  is  still  so  deficient 
in  rational  information  and  substantial  knowledge,  and 
that  a  warlike  spirit  is  afloat,  and  exerting  its  balefid  in- 
fluence among  the  nations. 

If  we  follow  the  young  from  the  school-room  to  the 
play-ground,  or  to  the  streets  and  the  highways,  we  shall 
find  the  spirit  of  malignity  displaying  itself  in  a  vast  diver- 


MORAL    STATE    OF    CIVILIZED    NATIONS.  369 

KJty  of  forms.  Here,  we  may  behold  one  miscliievous  lit- 
tle boy  slaoping  his  neighbour  in  the  face,  another  tearing 
his  neighbour's  clothes,  another  tossing  his  cap  into  a 
dirtv  ditch,  another  chalking  his  back  in  order  to  hold  him 
up  to  ridicule,  and  another  pouring  out  upon  him  a  torrent 
of  nicknames,  and  of  scurrilous  epithets.  There,  we  may 
behold  a  crowd  of  boys  pelting  a  poor  beggar  or  an  unfor- 
tunate maniac  with  stones  and  dirt  for  their  diversion  ; 
mocking  the  lame,  tlie  deformed,  and  the  aged,  and  insult- 
ing the  passing  traveller.  And,  when  such  objects  do  not 
happen  to  occur,  we  may  see  them  assaihng,  with  a  shower 
of  stones,  a  cat,  a  dog,  a  hare,  or  a  fowl,  that  happens  to 
cross  the  path,  and  enjoying  a  diabolical  pleasure  in  wit- 
nessing the  sufferings  of  these  unfortunate  animals.  Here, 
we  may  behold  an  insolent  boy  insulting  a  timid  girl, 
overturning  her  pitcher,  and  besmearing  her  with  mire  ; — 
there  we  behold  another  saluting  his  fellow  with  a  malig- 
nant scowl,  and  a  third  brandishing  his  whip,  and  lashing 
a  horse  or  a  cow,  for  his  amusement.  On  the  one  hand, 
we  may  sometimes  behold  a  ring  of  boys,  in  the  centre  of 
which  two  little  demons  are  engaged  in  mutual  combat, 
with  eyes  glaring  with  fury  and  revenge,  exerting  their 
physical  powers  to  the  utmost  stretch,  in  order  to  wound 
and  lacerate,  and  cover  with  blood  and  gore,  the  faces  of 
each  other  :  on  the  other  hand,  we  may  behold  an  unfor- 
tunate boy,  whom  a  natural  temperament,  or  a  virtuous 
principle,  prevents  from  engaging  in  similar  combats,  as- 
sailed with  opprobrious  epithets,  and  made  a  laughing- 
stock, and  an  object  of  derision  and  scorn,  because  he  will 
not  be  persuaded  to  declare  war  against  his  neighbour. — 
And,  what  is  still  more  atiocious  and  disgusting,  we  may 
behold  children  of  thirty  or  forty  years  of  age,  encouraging 
such  malevolent  dispositions,  and  stimulating  such  com- 
batants in  their  diabolical  exertions  !*  Such   infernal  prac- 


*  The  practice  of  boxing,  among  boys,  which  so  generally  prevails, 
especially  in  England,  is  a  disgrace  to  the  boasted  civilization  and 
Christianity  of  that  country,  and  to  the  superintendents  of  its  public 
seminaries.  That  pugiUstic contests  between  giown-up  savages  in  a 
civilized  shape,  should  be  publicly  advertised,  and  described  in  our 
newspapers,  and  the  arena  of  such  contests  resorted  to  by  so  many 
thousands  of  the  middUng  and  higher  classes  of  society,  is  a  strikinfj 
proof  that  the  spirit  of  folly  and  of  malignity  still  prevails  to  a  great 
31* 


370  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION". 

ticcs,  among  creatures  originally  formed  after  the  divine 
image,  if  they  were  not  so  common,  would  be  viewed  by 
every  one  in  whose  breast  the  least  spark  of  virtue  resides, 
with  feelings  of  indignation  and  horror. 

The  great  body  of  our  youth,  habituated  to  such  dispo- 
sitions and  practices,  after  having  left  school  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  or  fifteen — a  period  when  head-strong  passions 
and  vicious  propensities  begin  to  operate  with  still  great- 
er violence — have  access  to  no  other  seminaries,  in  which 
their  lawless  passions  may  be  counteracted  and  control- 
led, and  in  which  they  may  be  carried  forward  m  the  path 
of  moral  and  intellectual  improvement.  Throughout  the 
whole  of  the  civilized  world,  I  am  not  aware  that  there 
exist  any  regular  institutions  exclusively  appropriated  for 
the  instruction  of  young  persons,  from  the  age  of  fifteen 
to  the  age  of  twenty-hve  or  upwards,  on  moral,  religious, 
and  scientific  subjects ;  in  order  to  expand  their  intel- 
lectual capacities,  and  to  direct  their  moral  powers  in  the 
path  of  universal  benevolence.  Yet,  without  such  insti- 
tutions, all  the  knowledge  and  instructions  they  may  have 
previously  acquired,   in  the   great  majority  of  instances, 


extent,  and  that  the  spirit  of  Christianity  has  made  little  progress, 
even  within  the  hmits  of  the  British  empire. — The  following  late 
occurrence  shows  the  fatal  efiects  with  which  such  practices  are 
sometimes  attended.  "  On  Momday,  February  28,  1825,  two  of  the 
scholars  at  Eton,  the  Hon.  F.  A.  Cooper,  the  son  of  the  Earl  of 
Shaftesbury,  and  Mr.  Wood,  son  of  Colonel  Wood,  and  nephew  to 
the  Marquis  of  Londonderry,  in  consequence  of  a  very  warm  alter- 
cation on  the  play-ground,  on  the  preceding  day,  met,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  settling  the  unhappy  quarrel  by  a  pugilistic  encounter — a 
prevalent  practice  at  Eton,  and  dl  our  public  schools.  Almost  the  whole 
school  assembled  to  witness  the  spectacle.  The  inexperienced 
youths  commenced  fighting  at  four  o'clock,  and  partly  by  their  own 
energy,  and  partly  by  the  criminal  excitement  of  others,  continu- 
ed the  fatal  contest  till  within  a  little  of  six,  when,  mournful  to  re- 
late, the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury's  son  fell  very  heavily  upon  his  head, 
and  never  spoke  afterwards.  He  was  carried  off  to  his  lodgings, 
where  he  expired  in  a  few  hours.  On  the  Coroner's  inquest,  it  came 
out,  that  brandy  had  been  administered  very  freely,  and  that  no  de- 
cisive cflijrt  had  been  made  to  discontinue  a  contest  prolonged  be- 
yond all  due  limits. — About  forty  years  ago,  a  similar  cause  led  to  a 
similar  result  at  the  same  establishment.  The  survivor  is  a  clergy- 
man of  great  respectability." — 5ee  the  Public  Prints  for  Feb,  and  Evan. 
Mas.  for  Jlprilj  1825. 


MORAL    STATE    OF    CIVILIZED   NATIONS.  371 

are  rendered  almost  useless  and  ineilicient  for  promoting 
the  great  end  of  their  existence.  From  the  age  of  fif- 
teen to  the  age  of  twenty-five  is  the  most  important  pe- 
riod of  human  life  ;  and,  for  want  of  proper  instruction 
and  direction,  during  this  period,  and  of  rational  objects 
to  employ  the  attention  at  leisure  hours,  many  a  hopeful 
young  man  has  been  left  to  glide  insensibly  into  the  mire 
of  vice  and  corruption,  and  to  become  a  pest  to  his 
friends,  and  to  general  society.  Our  streets  and  highways 
are  infested,  and  our  jails  and  bridewells  filled  with 
young  persons  of  this  age,  who,  by  means  of  rational  and 
religious  training,  might  have  been  rendered  a  comfort  to 
tlieir  friends,  blessings  to  society,  and  oniamcnts  of  the 
Christian  Cliurch. 

It  would  be  inconsistent  with  the  limited  plan  of  this 
work,  to  attempt  to  trace  the  principle  of  malignity  through 
all  the  scenes  of  social,  commercial,  and  domestic  life. 
Were  I  to  enter  into  details  of  filial  impiety,  ingratitude, 
and  rebellion — of  faithless  friendships — of  the  aliena- 
tions of  affection,  and  of  the  unnatural  contentions  be- 
tween brothers  and  sisters — of  the  abominable  selfishness 
which  appears  in  the  general  conduct  and  transactions 
of  mankind — of  the  bitterness,  the  fraud,  and  the  per- 
jury, with  which  law-suits  are  commenced  and  prosecuted 
— of  the  hatred,  malice,  and  resentment,  manifested  for 
injuries  real  or  supposed — of  the  frauds  daily  committed 
in  every  department  of  the  commercial  world — of  the 
shufflings  and  base  deceptions  which  are  practised  in  cases 
of  bankruptcy — of  the  slanders,  the  caballing,  and  the 
falsehood,  which  attend  electioneering  contests-^of  the 
envy,  malice,  and  resentment,  displayed  between  compet- 
itors for  office  and  power — of  the  haughtiness  and  inso- 
lence displayed  by  petty  tyrants  both  in  church  and  state — 
of  the  selfishness  and  injustice  of  corporate  bodies,  and 
the  little  regard  they  show  for  the  interests  of  those  who 
are  oppressed,  and  deprived  of  their  due  rewards — of  the 
gluttony,  drunkenness,  and  prodigality,  which  so  general- 
ly prevail — of  the  brawlings,  fightings,  and  contentions, 
which  are  daily  presented  to  the  view  in  taverns,  ale-hous- 
es, and  dram-shops,  and  the  low  slang  and  vulgar  abuse 
with  which  such  scenes  are  intermingled — of  the  seduc- 
tions accomplished  by  insidious  artfulness  and  outrageous 


372  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

perjury — of  the  multiplied  falsehoods  of  all  descriptions 
which  are  uttered  in  courts,  in  camps,  and  in  private 
dwellings — of  the  unblushing  lies  of  public  newspapers, 
and  the  perjuries  of  ofTice — of  the  systematic  frauds 
and  robberies  by  which  a  large  portion  of  the  conmiunity 
are  cheated  out  of  their  property  and  their  rights — of  the 
pride,  haughtiness,  and  oppression  of  the  rich,  and  of  the 
malice,  envy,  and  discontentment  of  the  poor — such  pic- 
tures of  malignity  might  be  presented  to  the  view,  as 
would  fdl  the  mind  of  the  reader  with  astonishment  and 
horror,  and  which  would  require  a  series  of  volumes  to  re- 
cord the  revolting  details. 

There  is  one  very  general  characteristic  of  civilized, 
and  even  of  Christian  society,  that  bears  the  stamp  of  ma- 
lignity, which  may  particularly  be  noticed ;  and  that  is, 
the  pleasure  with  which  men  expatiate  on  the  faults  and 
delinquencies  of  their  neighbours,  and  the  eagerness  with 
which  tiiey  circulate  scandalous  reports  through  every 
portion  of  the  community.  Almost  the  one  half  of  the 
conversation  of  civilized  men,  when  strictly  analyzed,  will 
be  found  to  consist  of  malignant  insinuations,  and  of  tales 
of  scandal  and  detraction,  the  one  half  of  which  is  desti- 
tute of  any  solid  foundation.  How  comes  it  to  pass,  that 
the  slightest  deviation  from  propriety  or  rectitude,  in  the 
case  of  one  of  a  generally  respectable  character,  is  dwelt 
upon  with  a  fiend-like  pleasure,  and  aggravated  beyond 
measure,  while  all  his  good  qualities  are  overlooked  and 
thrown  completely  into  the  shade  ?  What  is  the  reason 
why  we  arc  not  as  anxious  to  bring  forward  the  good 
qualities  and  actions  of  our  fellow-men,  and  to  bestow 
upon  them  their  due  tribute  of  praise,  as  we  are  to  blaze 
abroad  their  errors  and  infirmities  ?  How  often  does  it 
happen,  that  a  single  evil  action  committed  by  an  individ- 
ual, contrary  to  the  general  tenor  of  his  life,  will  be  trum- 
peted about  by  the  tongue  of  malice,  even  to  the  end  of 
his  life,  while  ail  his  virtuous  deeds  and  praise-worthy  ac- 
tions will  be  overlooked  and  forgotten,  and  attempted  to 
be  buried  in  oblivion  !  If  benevolence  were  the  prevail- 
ing characteristic  of  mankind,  such  dispositions  would 
seldom  be  displayed  in  the  intercourses  of  human  beings. 
If  benevolence  pervaded  every  heart,  we  would  rejoice  to 
expatiate  on  the  excellences  of  others  ; — these  would  form 


MORAL    STATE     OF     CIVILIZED    NATIONS.  373 

the  chief  topics  of  conversation  in  our  personal  remarks 
on  others ;  we  would  endeavour  to  throw  a  veil  over  the 
infirmities  of  our  brethren,  and  would  be  always  disposed 
to  exercise  that  candour  and  charity  "  which  covers  a 
multitude  of  sins." 

If  we  now  turn  our  eyes  for  a  moment,  to  the  amuse- 
ments  of  civilized  society,  we  shall  find  many  of  them  dis- 
tinguished by  a  malignant  character  and  tendency.  What 
an  appropriate  exhibition  for  rational  and  immortal  beings 
do  the  scenes  of  a  cockpit  display  !  to  behold  a  motley 
group  of  bipeds,  of  all  sorts  and  sizes,  from  the  peer  to 
the  chimney-sweep,  and  from  the  man  of  hoary  hairs  to 
the  lisping  infant,  betting,  blustering,  swearing,  and  feast- 
ing their  eyes  with  a  savage  delight  on  the  sufferings  of 
their  fellow-bipeds,  whom  they  have  taught  to  wound,  to 
torment,  and  to  destroy  each  oiher !  There  is  scarcely 
any  thing  that  appears  so  congenial  to  the  spirit  which 
pervades  the  infernal  regions,  as  the  attempt  to  inspire  the 
lower  animals  with  the  same  malignant  dispositions  which 
characterize  the  most  degraded  of  the  human  species. 
That  such  a  cruel  and  disgusting  practice  still  prevails  in 
England,  and  that  it  formed,  till  lately,  a  part  of  the 
amusements  of  almost  all  the  schools  in  Scotland,  is  a  re- 
proach to  the  civilization,  the  humanity,  and  the  Christian- 
ity of  our  country.  And  what  a  fine  spectacle  to  a  hu- 
mane and  civilized  mind  is  the  amusement  of  bull-baiting ! 
an  amusement  in  which  the  strength  and  courage  of  this 
animal  are  made  the  means  of  torturing  him  with  the 
most  exquisite  agonies  !  Can  benevolence,  can  even  the 
common  feelings  of  humanity,  reside  in  the  breast  of  that 
man  who  can  find  enjoyment  in  encouraging  and  in  wit- 
nessing such  barbarous  sports  ?  And  what  a  dignified 
amusement  is  the  horse-race  ?  where  crowds  of  the  no- 
bility, gentry,  and  of  the  most  polished  classes  of  society, 
as  well  as  the  ignoble  rabble,  assemble  from  all  quarters, 
to  behold  two  noble  animals  panting,  and  heaving,  and 
endeavouring  to  outstrip  each  other  on  the  course  !  What 
a  scene  of  bullying,  and  jockeying,  and  betting,  and  cheat- 
ing, and  cursing,  and  swearing,  and  fighting,  is  generally 
presented  on  such  occasions  !  What  a  wonderful  degree 
of  importance  is  attached,  by  the  most  dignified  ranks  of 
society,  to  the  issue  of  the  race ;  as  if  the  fate  of  an  em- 


874  THE   PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

pire,  or  the  salvation  of  an  immortal  spirit,  were  depend- 
ing on  the    circumstance  of  one  horse  getting  a  start   of 
another  !     I  do  not  mean  to  decry,  indiscriminately,  pub- 
lic amusements  ;  nor  to  call  in   question  the    propriety  of 
improving   the    locomotive   powers     of    the    horse ;    but, 
surely,  it   would  require   no  great  stretch  of  invention,  to 
devise  spectacles  and  entertainments,    much  more    digni- 
fied, and  congenial   to  the  noble  powers,    and  to  the  high 
destination  of  the  human  mind,    and  which  might   be  ex- 
hibited with  as  little    expense  either  of  time  or  of  money. 
And  what  shall  we  say  of  li^^fghts,  and  dogfights,  and 
boxing   matches  between   animals  in  the  shape   of    men, 
which   have    been  lately  advertised  in  the   public  prints 
with  so   much    impudence  and  effrontery  ?     Are  the  pat- 
rons of  such   revolting  exhibitions,  and  the  crowds  which 
resort  to  them,  to  be   considered  as  patterns  of  taste,  of 
humanity,   and  of  refined  benevolence  ?     And    what  shall 
we  think  of  the  amusements  of  one  half  of  our  gentry, 
country  squires,  gentlemen  farmers,    and  the   whole  tribe 
of  the  sporting  community,    who  derive  more  exquisite  en- 
joyment in    maiming  a  hare,  a  partridge,  or  a  moor-fowl, 
than  in  relieving  the  wants  of  the  friendless  poor,  in  me- 
liorating the  condition  of  their  dependents,  or  in  patroniz- 
ing the  difi'usion  of  useful  knowledge  ?  If  one  of  our   best 
moral  poets  declared,  that   "  he  would  not  enter,    on  his 
list  of  friends,  though   graced  with  polished  manners  and 
fine  sense,  the  man  who  needlessly  sets  foot  upon  a  worm," 
what  would  be  his  estimate  of  the   man  who  derived   one 
of  his  chief  gratifications,  day  after  day,    from  making 
havoc   among  the   feathered  tribes,  and  from    lacerating 
and  maiming  a  timid  hare,  for  the  sole  purpose   of  indulg- 
ing a  sporting  humour,  and  proving   himself  an   excellent 
marksman  ?  Can  we  suppose  that  the    benevolent  Creator 
so   curiously  organized  the  beasts   of  the  earth   and  tlie 
fowls  of  heaven,  and  endowed  them  with  exquisite   feel- 
ings and  sensibility,  merely  that  tyrannical  man  might  tor- 
ture and  destroy  them  for  his  amusement  ?  For  the  persons 
to  whom  I  allude  cannot  plead  necessity   for  such  conduct, 
as  if  they  were  dependent  for  subsistence  on  their  carcass- 
es.    Such  is  still  the  mania  for  these  cruel  amusements, 
that   the  butchery  of  the  brutal  and  the  winged  tribes,  it 
is  likely,  will  soon  be  reduced  to  a  regular  system,  and  en- 


PUBLIC   AMUSEMENTS.  373 

rolled  among  the  number  of  the  fine  arts.  For,  an  octavo 
volume,  of  470  pages,  which  has  already  passed  through 
three  editions,  has  been  lately  published,  entitled,  "  In- 
structions to  Young  Sportsmen  in  all  that  relates  to  Game 
and  Shooting  :"  by  Lieut.  Colonel  Hawker.  The  author, 
after  having  stated  that  he  has  now  lost  his  eyes  and  nerves 
for  a  good  shot,  says,  "  The  greatest  pleasure  that  can 
possibly  remain  for  me,  is  to  resign  the  little  I  have  learn- 
ed, for  the  benefit  of  young  sportsmen.  The  rising  gen- 
eration of  shooters  might  otherwise  be  left  for  many  years, 
to  find  out  all  these  little  matters."  And  a  most  impor- 
tant loss,  doubtless,  the  rising  generation  would  have  sus- 
tained, had  not  the  worthy  Colonel  condescended  to  com- 
municate his  discoveries  !  I  was  lately  making  an  excur- 
sion, in  a  steam  boat,  through  one  of  the  Scottish  lakes. 
Among  the  passengers  were  several  of  the  sporting  gentry, 
furnished  with  all  their  requisite  accoutrements,  who  seem- 
ed to  enjoy  a  higher  gratification  in  disturbing  the  happi- 
ness of  the  feathered  tribes,  than  in  contemplating  the  nat- 
ural beauties  of  the  surrounding  scene.  When  any  of 
these  hapless  animals  appeared  in  view,  a  hue  and  cry 
commenced,  a  shot  was  prepared,  and  a  musket  levelled 
at  the  unoffending  creatures,  which  created  among  them 
universal  agitation  and  alarm.  Some  of  them  were  kill- 
ed; and  others,  doubtless,  maimed  and  rendered  misera- 
ble for  life ;  while  no  human  being  could  enjoy  the  least 
benefit  from  such  wanton  cruelty.  To  kill,  or  even  to 
maim  any  living  creature  that  is  doing  us  no  harm,  and 
when  there  is  no  possibility,  nor  even  a  desire,  to  procure 
its  carcass  for  food,  cannot,  I  should  think,  by  any  sophis- 
try of  reasoning,  be  construed  into  an  act  of  benevolence.* 


*  In  throwing  out  these  reflections,  the  author  by  no  means  wishes 
to  insinuate,  that  it  is  improper,  in  every  instance,  to  kill  any  of  the 
inferior  animals ;  his  remarks  being  directed  solely  against  the  prac- 
tice of  wantonly  maiming  or  destroying  them  for  the  sake  of  mere 
sport  or  amusement.  Even  in  those  cases  where  it  may  appear  ex- 
pedient or  necessary,  to  extirpate  a  portion  of  the  animal  tribes,  it 
appears  somewhat  strange,  that  gentlemen  should  be  the  voluntary 
agents  employed  in  this  work  of  destruction,  and  that  their  minds 
should  be  so  much  absorbed  in  the  satisfaction  which  it  creates.  One 
would  have  thought  that  the  very  lowest  class  of  the  community  would 
have  been  selected  for  this  purpose,  as  there  is  something  naturally 
revolting  in  the  employment  of  destroying  the  life  of  any  sensitive  being 


J76  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

I  cannot,  here,  forbear  inserting  a  passage  from  "  Salt's 
Travels  in  Abyssinia,"  which  exhibits  a  very  different   spi- 
rit in  one  whom  some  would  be  disposed  to    rank   among 
the  class  of  semi-barbarians.     "  In  the  evening,  Baharne- 
gash   Yasons,  a  servant   of  the  Ras   (of  Abyssinia)   who 
had  attended  me  during  my  whole  stay   in  the  country, 
took  his  leave.     Among  all  the  men   with  whom  I  have 
been  intimately  acquainted,  1  consider  this  old  man   as  one 
of  the  most  perfect  and  blameless  characters.     His  mind 
seemed   to   be  formed  upon  the  purest   principles  of  the 
Christian  religiov.  ;  his  every  thought  and  action   appear- 
ing to  be  the  result  of  its  dictates.     He  would  often,  to 
ease  his  mule,  walk  more  than  half  the  day ;  and    as  he 
journeyed  by  my  side,  continually  recited  prayers   for  our 
welfare  and  future  prosperity.     On  all  occasions  he  sought 
to  repress  in  those  around  him,  every   improper  feeling  of 
anger  ;  conciliated  them   by  the  kindest  words,  and  excit- 
ed them,  by  his  example,  to  an  active  performance  of  their 
duties.     If  a  man  were  weary,  he  would  assist  him  in  car- 
rying his  burden  ;  if  he  perceived  any  of  the  Mules'  backs 
to  be  hurt,  he  would   beg  me  to  have  them  relieved  ;  and, 
constantly,  when  he  saw  me  engaged  in  shooting  partridges, 
or  other  birds,  he  would  call  out  to  them  to  fly  out  of  the 
way,  shaking  his  head  and  begging  me,  in  a  mournful  ac- 
cent, not  to  kill  them.      I  have  remarked,  in  my  former 
Journal,  that,  with  all  this  refined  feeling  of  humanity,  he 
was  far  from  being  devoid  of  courage  ;    and,  I  had  an  op- 
portunity, subsequently,  of  witnessing  several  instances  of 
his  bravery,  though  he  appeared  on  all  occasions  pectiliar- 
ly  anxious  to  avoid  a  quarrel.     We  parted,  I  believe,  with 
mutual  regret :  at  least  for  my  own  part,  I   can  truly  say, 
that  I  have  seldom  felt  more  respect  for  an  individual  than 
I  did  for  this  worthy  man." 

As  a  contrast  to  the  benevolent  dispositions  displayed 
by  this  worthy  Abyssinian, — I  shall  give  a  short  descrip- 
tion of  a  hull-fight,  in  Madrid,  extracted  from  a  work,  the 
author  of  which  was  a  spectator  (in  1803)  of  the  scene  he 
describes.  "  The  Spanish  bull-fights  are  certainly  the  most 
extraordinary  exhibition  in  Europe  :  we  were  present  at 
one  of  them  this  morning.  The  places  in  the  amphi- 
theatre were  nearly  all  filled  at  half-past  nine,  and  at 
ten,  the  conegidor  came  into  liis  box  ;  upon  which  the 


SPANISH    BULL-FIGHTS.  377 

trumpets  sounded,   and  the  people  rose  and  shouted,  from 
the  deUght  that  the  show  was  to  begin  immediately.     Four 
men  in  black  gowns  then  came   forward,  and  read  a  proc- 
lamation,   enjoining   all  persons  to   remain  in  their  seats. 
On  their  going  out  of  the  arena,  the  six  bulls  which  were 
to  be  fought  this  morning,  were  driven  across,  led  on  by  a 
cow,  with  a  bell  round  her  neclv.     The  two  Picadores  (the 
men  who  are  appointed  to  fight  the  furious  animals)  now  ap- 
peared, dressed  in  leathern  gaiters,  thick  leathern  breeches, 
silk  jackets   covered  with    spangles,  and  caps  surmounted 
by  broad  brimmed  white  hats  :  each   rode   a  miserable 
hack,  and  carried  in  his  hand  a  long  pole,  with   a  goad 
at  the  end.     As   soon  as  they  were  prepared,   a  door  was 
opened,  and  the  first  bull  rushed  in.     In  the  course  of  the 
contest,  I  felt  first  alarmed  for  the  men,  and  then  for  the 
horses.     Soon  the  accidents  of  the  men  withdrew  my  pity 
from  the  beasts  ;  and,  latterly,  by  a  natural,  and  dreadful 
operation  of  the  mind,  I  began  to  look  without  horror  on  the 
calamities  of  both. — The  manner  of  the  fight  is  thus  : — 
tlie  bull  rushes   in,  and  makes   an   attack  severally  upon 
the  picadores,  who  repulse  him ;  he  being   always   upon 
these  occasions,  wounded  in  the   neck;  after  a   few  re- 
encounters,  he  becomes  somewhat  shy  ;  but,  at  the  same 
time,  when  he   does  rush  on,  he    is  doubly    dangerous. 
He  follows  up  the  attack,  and  frequently  succeeds  in  over- 
throwing both  horse  and  rider.     As  long  as  the  horse  has 
strength  to  bear  the  picadore,    he   is  obliged  to  ride  him. 
This   morning  one  of  these  wretched  animals  was  forced 
to  charge,  with  his  guts  hanging  m  festoons  between  his  legs  t 
His  belly  was  again  ripped  open  by  the   bull,  and  he  fell 
for  dead  ;  but  the  attendants  obliged  him  to  rise  and  crawl 
out  !  This  seems  the  crudest  part  of  the  business  ;  for  the 
men  almost  always  escape  ;  but  the  blood  and  sufferings  of 
thirteen  horses  loere  exhibited  in  the  short  space  of  two  hours. 
Four  men  were  hurt  ;  one  who  was  entirely  overturned 
with    his  horse  upon  him,  was  carried  out  like  a  corpse ; 
but  the  spectators,  totally  disregarding  this  melancholy  sight, 
shouted  for  his  co?npanion  to  renew  the  attack.    The  bull  af- 
ter his  first  rage,  and  subsequent  fury  during  many  rounds, 
begins  to  feel  weakness,   and  declines   further  attacks  on 
the  horsemen.     Upon  this,  a  loud  shout  re-echoes  through 
tlie  theatre,  and  some  of  the  attendants  advance  and  stick 
32 


378  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

his  gored  neck  full  of  arrows,  which  cause  him  to  u-riih 
about  ingrcat  torment.  When  ihe  efforts  he  makes  under 
these  sufferings  have  considerably  spent  his  strength,  the 
corregidor  makes  a  motion  with  his  hand,  and  the  trum- 
pets sound  as  a  signal  to  the  matador  to  despatch  him. 
This  is  a  service  which  requires  great  skill  and  bravery  ; 
for  the  madness  of  the  bull,  and  the  torture  he  endures, 
prompt  him  to  destroy  every  one  around.  The  matador 
advances  with  a  red  cloak  in  one  hand,  and  a  sword  in  the 
other.  He  enrages  the  bull  with  the  cloak,  till,  at  length 
getting  opposite  to  him,  he  rushes  forward,  and  the  sword 
pierces  his  spinal  marrow,  or  what  is  more  common,  is 
buried  to  the  hilt  in  his  neck  ;  upon  which  he  turns  aside, 
at  first  moaning,  but  a  torrent  of  blood  gushes  from  his 
mouth  ;  and  he  staggers  round  the  arena,  and  falls.  The 
trumpets  sound ;  three  mules,  ornamented  with  ribbonds 
and  flags,  appear,  to  drag  the  wretched  victim  out  by  the 
horns,  and  the  horsemen  prepare  for  the  attack  of  a  fresh 
animal." 

"  In  the  evening  the  show  began  at  half-past  four^ 
and  ten  bulls  were  brought  forward.  To  tame  them 
before  the  matador  approached,  a  new  expedient  was 
resorted  to,  most  infamously  cruel,  namely,  the  covering 
ofthe  darts  with  sulphur  and  fireworks.  The  torments 
of  these  were  so  dreadful,  that  the  animals  whose  strength 
was  fresh,  raged  about  terribly,  so  that  the  assistant* 
were  forced  to  use  great  agility  to  get  from  them.  There 
were  many  hair-breadth  escapes  ;  one  of  the  animals 
in  pursuit  of  a  man,  leaped  the  barrier  of  the  arena,  which 
is  about  eight  feet  high.  A  second  bull  was  still  more 
furious,  and  made  more  tremendous  attacks.  In  one  of 
these  ho  pinned  the  man  and  horse  against  the  barriers, 
got  his  horns  under  the  horse,  and  lacerated  him  dreadful- 
ly ;  in  a  moment  afterwards,  he  lifted  him  up,  and  threw 
tliG  man  with  such  force  through  one  of  the  apertures,  as 
to  kill  him  on  the  spot.  He  was  borne  past  tlie  box  in 
which  we  were,  with  his  teeth  set,  and  his  side  covered 
witlh  blood  ;  the  horse  staggered  out  spouting  a  stream  of 
gore  from  his  chest.  The  remaining  picadore  renewed 
the  charge,  and  another  came  in  with  shouts  to  take  the  dead 
man'^s  place.  One  of  these  had  his  horse's  skin  dread- 
feilly  ripped  off  his  side,  aixl   when  he  breathed,  ihe  &n- 


SPANISH    AMUSEMENTS.  379 

trails  swelled  out  of  the  hole ;  to  prevent  which,  the  rider 
got  ofl'  and  stuffed  in  his  pocket  handkerchief,"  &c.* — 
"  I  have  seen,"  says  Bourgoing,  "  eight  and  ten  horses  torn, 
and  their  belHes  ripped  open,  fall  and  expire  in  the  field 
of  battle.  Sometimes  these  horses,  afl'ccting  models  of 
patience,  of  courage,  and  of  docility — present  a  spectacle, 
at  which  it  may  be  allowable  to  shudder.  You  see  them 
tread  under  their  feet,  their  own  bloody  entrails,  hanging 
out  of  their  open  sides,  and  still  obey  for  some  lime  the 
hand  that  guides  them." 

Such  are  the  amusements  which,  in  Spain,  fascinate 
all  ranks  of  the  community,  from  the  prince  to  the  peas- 
ant. Young  ladies,  old  men,  servant  girls,  and  people 
of  all  ages  and  all  characters  are  present.  The  art  of 
killing  a  bull,  which  seems  exclusively  to  be  the  business 
of  a  butcher,  is  gravely  discussed  and  exalted  with  trans- 
port, not  only  by  the  rabble,  but  by  men  of  sense,  and  by 
women  of  delicacy.  The  day  of  a  bull-fight  is  a  day  of 
solemnity  for  the  whole  canton.  "  The  people  come," 
says  Bourgoing,  "  from  ten  and  twelve  leagues  distance. 
The  artisan  who  can  with  difficulty  earn  enough  for  his 
subsistence,  has  always  sufficient  to  pay  for  the  bull-fight. 
Wo  be  to  the  chastity  of  a  young  girl  whose  poverty 
excludes  her  !  The  man  who  pays  for  her  admittance, 
will  be  her  first  seducer.  It  is  indeed  a  very  striking 
sight,  to  see  all  the  inhabitants  assemble  round  the  circus, 
waiting  the  signal  for  the  fight,  and  icearing  in  their  ex- 
terior every  sign  of  impatience.''''  There  is  not  a  town 
in  Spain,  but  what  has  a  large  square  for  the  purpose  of 
exhibiting  bull-fights  ;  and  it  is  said,  that  even  the 
poorest  inhabitants  of  the  smallest  villages  will  often 
club  together,  in  order  to  procure  a  cow  or  an  ox,  and 
fight  them  riding  upon  asses  for   want  of  horses. f     Can 


*  Travels  through  Spain  and  part  of  Portiiiral  in  1803,  Vol.  2.  f)i>. 
35—45.  A  more  circumstantial  account  of  these  fiffhts,  and  in  per- 
fect accordance  with  the  above  description,  may  be  seen  in  Bour^o- 
inor's  ^'Modern  State  of  Spain,"  Vol.11,  pp.346— 360. 

t  It  is  said  that  these  fiffhts  were  prohibited  in  1805,  to  the  deep  re- 
gret of  the  most  numerous  p(  rt  of  the.  nation;  but  another  entertain- 
ment, called  fiesta  de  novillos,  which  is  an  ima;ie  of  the  bull-fight,  is 
still  retained;  and  it  is  not  improbable,  that,  by  this  time,  the  true 
bull-tight  has  been  again  revived. 


380  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF     RELIGION. 

a  spirit  of  pure  benevolence  be  general  among  a  people 
addicted  to  such  cruel  and  savage  amusements  !  And, 
need  we  wonder  to  find,  that  troops  of  lawless  banditti 
are  continually  prowling  among  the  mountains  and  forests 
of  that  country,  committing  murders  and  depredations  1 
One  of  the  authors  just  now  quoted,  when  alluding  to 
banditti,  and  detailing  the  incidents  which  occurred  on 
his  route  to  Madrid,  says,  "  In  this  country  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  distinguish  friends  from  foes,  as  all  travellers  go  well 
armed.  We  met  just  here  half  a  dozen  horsemen,  many 
of  v/hom  had  swords  and  pistols,  and  we  afterwards  saw 
peasants  riding  on  asses,  armed  in  the  same  way.  A  few 
leagues  further  on,  we  met  a  strong  detachment  of  cav- 
alry patroling  the  road,  in  consequence  of  a  daring  rob- 
bery, which  had  just  been  committed  on  a  nobleman  who 
was  bringing  his  bride  to  court  from  Barcelona.  He  had 
a  numerous  retinue  ;  the  banditti  were  twelve  in  number, 
and  completely  armed." 

If  we  now  take  a  cursory  glance  at  our  popular  lit- 
erary WORKS,  and  at  several  of  our  publications  intended 
for  the  nursery,  we  shall  find  that  a  goodly  portion  of  them 
is  stamped  with  the  character  of  frivolity  and  of  malignity. 
When  the  young  mind  is  just  beginning  to  expand,  in- 
stead of  being  irradiated  with  the  beams  of  unadulterated 
truth,  a  group  of  distorted  and  unsubstantial  images, 
which  have  no  prototypes  in  nature,  is  presented  to  the 
view  of  the  intellect,  as  the  groundwork  of  its  future  pro- 
gress in  wisdom  and  knowledge.  Instead  of  the  simple 
and  sublime  precepts  of  Christian  benevolence,  the  wild 
and  romantic  notions  connected  with  chivalry,  the  super- 
stitions of  the  dark  ages,  and  the  love  of  false  heroism, 
and  of  military  glory,  are  attempted  to  be  indelibly  riv- 
etted  on  the  minds  of  the  young.  What  else  can  be  ex- 
pected, when  such  legends  and  romances  as  the  follow- 
ing, occupy  the  principal  part  of  the  nursery  library  ? — 
Blue  Beard ;  Cinderella  ;  Tom  Thumb  ;  Jack  the  Giant- 
Killer ;  Valentine  and  Orson  ;  The  Seven  Champions  of 
Christcjido?n  ;  Robin  Hood  ;  Goody  Two-Shoes  ;  Puss  in 
Boots ;  Sinbad  the  Sailor ;  Aladdin,  or,  the  Wonderful 
liamp  ;  ThaLiba,  or,  the  Destroyer ;  The  Blood-Red 
Knight ;  The  Maid  and  the  Magpie  ;  Fairy  Tales^  and  l\ 


WAVERLY    NOVELS,    &;C.  381 

long  list  of  similar  tales  and  romances,  equally  improving 
and  important  !  Such  works  are  published,  even  at  the 
present  time,  not  only  in  a  Lilliputian  size,  to  suit  the 
lower  ranks  of  the  community,  but  in  a  style  of  splen- 
dour and  elegance,  calculated  to  fascinate  the  highest  cir- 
cles of  society.  Ten  thousands  of  copies  of  such  publi- 
cations, are  presently  in  circulation  throughout  every  part 
of  the  British  empire  ; — and  what  is  the  great  object  they 
are  calculated  to  accomplish  ?  To  exhibit  distorted  views 
of  the  scenes  of  nature,  and  of  human  society  ;  to  foster 
superstitious  notions  ;  to  inspire  the  minds  of  the  young 
with  an  inordinate  desire  after  worldly  honour  and  distinc- 
tion ;  to  set  before  them,  as  an  ultimate  object,  the  splen- 
dour and  felicity  of  "  riding  in  a  coach  and  six  ;''  and  to 
familiarize  their  minds  to  chivalrous  exploits,  and  to  scenes 
of  butchery  and  revenge. 

If  we  glance  at  the  popular  literary  works  of  the  pre- 
sent day,  intended   for  the    amusement  of  children    of  a 
larger  growth,  we  shall  find  many  of  them  imbued  witli  a 
similar   spirit,    and    having    a   similar    tendency.       What 
is    it    that  just   now    fascinates    our    literary    loungers, 
our  polished  gentry,  our  educated   females,   nay,  all  ranks 
of  the    community,    from  the   dignified  clergyman  to  the 
humble  weaver,  and  which  threatens  to  destroy   all  relish 
for  plain    unvarnished   facts,    and    for    substantial    knowl- 
edge ?     The  novels    of    Waverly,    Guy  Mannering,  Rob 
Roy,  Tales  of  my  Landlord,  The  Fortunes  of  Nigel,  8t. 
Ronan's  Well, — Marmion,  The   Corsair,    Childe   Harold, 
and  a  shoal  of  similar  publications,   which  are   daily  issu- 
ing from  the  press.     And  what  is  the  general  tendency  of 
the  great  majority  of  such  works  ?    To  distort  and  carrica- 
ture  the  facts  of  real  history  ;   to  gratify  a  romantic  imagi- 
nation ;    to  pamper  a  depraved  mental  appetite  ;   to  excite 
a  disrelish  for  the  existing  scenes   of  nature,   and   for  the 
authenticated  facts  which  have  occurred  in   the  history  of 
mankind  ;    to  hold  up  venerable  characters  to  derision  and 
contempt  ;   to    excite   admiration  of  the   exploits  and  the 
malignant  principles  of  those  rude  chieftains,  and  barba- 
rous heroes,  whose  names  ought  to  descend   into   everlast- 
ing oblivion  ;   to  revive  the  revengeful   spirit  of  the  dark 
ages  ;   to  undermine  a  sacred  regard  for  truth  and  moral 
principle,  which  are  the  basis  of  the  happiness  of  the  uin 
33* 


382  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

telligent  universe  ;  and  to  throw  a  false  glory  over  scenes 
of  rapine,  of  bloodshed,  and  of  devastation. — To  such 
works,  and  to  their  admirers,  we  might  apply  the  words 
of  the  ancient  Prophet  :  "  He  feedeth  on  ashes ;  a  deceiv- 
ed heart  hath  turned  him  aside,  that  he  cannot  say,  Is  there 
not  a  lie  in  my  right  hand  ?" 

"  For,  sure,  to  hug  a  fancied  case, 
That  never  did,  nor  can  take  place, 
And  for  the  pleasures  it  can  give, 
Neglect  the  '  facts  of  real  life,' 
Is  nindness  in  its  greatest  height, 
Or  I  mistake  the  matter  quite." 

WiLKIE, 

To  affirm,  that  it  is  necessary  for  the  entertainment  of 
the  human  mind,  to  have  recourse  to  fictitious  scenes  and 
narratives,  and  to  the  wild  vagaries  of  an  unbridled  imag- 
ination, is,  in  effect,  to  throw  a  reflection  upon  the  plans 
and  the  conduct  of  the  Creator.  It  implies,  that,  in  the 
scenes  of  nature  which  surround  us,  both  in  the  heavens 
and  on  the  earth,  and  in  the  administrations  of  his  moral 
government  among  men,  God  has  not  produced  a  suffi- 
cient variety  of  interesting  objects  for  the  contemplation, 
the  instruction,  and  the  entertainment  of  the  human  race 
— and  that  the  system  of  the  moral  and  physical  world 
must  be  distorted  and  deranged,  and  its  economy  misrep- 
resented and  blended  with  the  creations  of  human  folly,  be- 
fore its  scenery  be  rendered  fit  to  gratify  the  depraved  and 
fastidious  tastes  of  mankind.*     And  is  it  indeed  true,  that 


*  The  following  sketch  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  the  supposed  autlior  of 
some  of  the  works  alluded  to,  is  given  in  Hazlitt's  "  Spirit  of  tiic  Age, 
or  Contemporary  Portraits."  "  His  mind  receives  and  treasures  up 
every  thing  hrought  to  it  by  tradition  or  custom — it  does  not  project  it- 
self beyond  this  into  the  world  unknown,  but  mechanically  shrinks  back 
as  from  the  edge  of  a  precipice.  The  land  oi' pure  reason  is  to  his  ap- 
prehension like  Van  Dieviaii's  Land,  l^arren,  miserable,  dislant,  a  place 
of  exile,  the  dreary  abode  of  savages,  convicts,  and  adventurers.  Sir 
Walter  would  make  a  bad  hand  of  a  description  of  the  ?niiiewii»m,  un- 
less he  would  lay  the  scene  in  Scotland,  500  years  ago  ;  and  theoihe 
would  want  facts  and  worm-eaten  parchments  to  sup])ort  his  droop- 
ing style.  Our  historical  novelist  firmly  thinks,  that  nothing  is  but 
what  has  been — that  the  moral  world  stands  still,  as  the  material  one 
was  supposed  to  do  of  old — and  that  we  can  never  get  beyond  the 
poiat  whore  we  actually  are,  without  utter  destruction,  though  every 


UTILITY    OF    THE    REAL    SCENES    OF    NATURE.        383 

there  is  not  a  sufficient  variety  to  gratify  a  rational  mind  in 
the  existing  scenes  of  creation  and  providence  ?  If  we  sur- 
vey the  Alpine  scenes  of  nature  ;  if  we  explore  the  won- 
ders of  the  ocean  ;  if  we  penetrate  into  the  subterraneous 
recesses  of  the  globe  ;  if  we   direct  our  view  to   the  nu- 
merous objects  of  subhmity  and  of  beauty  to  be  found  in 
every  country  ;  if  we  investigate  the    structure  and  econ- 
omy of  the  animal   and  the  vegetable   tribes  :  if  we  raise 
our  eyes  to  the  rolling  orbs   of  heaven  ;  if  we  look  back 
to  the  generations  of  old,  and  trace  the  history  of  ancient 
nations ;  if  we  contemplate  the  present  state  of  civilized 
and  of  savage  tribes,  and  the  moral  scenery  which  is  eve- 
ry where  displayed  around   us — shall  we   not  find  a  suffi- 
cient variety  of  every  thing  which  is  calculated  to  interest, 
to  instruct,  and  to  entertain  a  rational  mind  ?  I  am  bold  to 
affirm,  that  were  a  proper  selection  made  of  i\\e  facts  con- 
nected with  the  system   of  nature,    and  with  the   history 
and    the  present  state   of  human    society,   and  were  the 
sketches    of  such  facts  executed  by  the  hand  of  a  master, 
and  interspersed  with  rational  and  moral  reflections — vol- 
umes might  be  presented  to  the   public,   no  less   entertain- 
ing, and  certainly  far  more  instructive,  than  all  the  novels 
and  romances  which  the  human  imagination  has  ever  pro- 
duced ;  and  that,  too,  without  distorting  a  single  fact  in 
the  system  of  nature  or  of  human  society,  or   exciting  a 
sentiment  of  admiration  or  of  approbation  of  the  exploits 
of  warriors.     If  we  wish  to  be  amused   with  entertainingr 
narrations  and  novel  scenes,  the   narratives  of  adventurous 
voyagers  and  travellers,  when  written  with  spirit   and  an- 
imation, will  supply  us  with   entertainment  scarcely  infe- 
rior to  that  of  the  best  written  novel  ;    and   it  is   the  rea- 
der's own  fault,  if  he  do  not,    from  such  sources,  derive 
moral  instruction.     Such   adventures   as  those  of  Mungo 
Park  in  Africa,  and  Captain  Cochrane  in  Siberia,  and  such 
narratives  as  those  of  Byron,  Brisson,   Pierre  Viaud,  An- 
son, Cook,  Bligh,  Perouse,   and   others,   abound  with  so 
many  striking   and    affecting  incidents,  that  the  reader's 


thing  changes  and  will  change,  from  what  it  was  300  years  ago  and 
■what  it  13  now  ;  from  what  it  is  now,  to  all  that  the  bigotted  admirer 
of  the  good  old  times  most  dreads  and  hates." 


384  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF  RELIGION. 

attention  is  kept  alive,  and  he  feels  as  lively  an  interest  in 
the  fate  of  the  adventurers,  as  is  usually  felt  in  that  of  the 
fictitious  hero  of  a  novel,  or  a  romance. 

If  man  were  only  the  creature  of  a  day,   whose  whole 
existence  was  confined  within  the  limits  of  this  sublunary 
scene,  he  might  amuse  himself  either  with  facts  or  with 
fictions,    or  with   any  toys  or  gewgaws  that  happened  to 
strike  his  Amcy  while  he  glided   down  the  stream  of  time 
to    the  gulf  of  oblivion.     But   if  he  is  a   being  destined 
for  eternity,  the  train  of  his  thoughts  ought  to  be  direct- 
ed to  objects  corresponding  to  his  high  destination,  and  all 
his    amusements    blended    with   those    moral    instructions 
which   have   an  ultimate   reference   to  the    scene  of  his 
immortal    existence.       When    I  read  one  of  our   modern 
novels,  I  enjoy,  for  a  few  hours,  a  transitory  amusement,  in 
contemplating  the   scenes   of  fancy  it  displays,  and  in  fol- 
lowing the   hero  through  his  numerous   adventures ;  I  ad- 
mire the  force    and   brilliancy   of  the    imagination   of  the 
writer  (for  I  am  by  no  means   disposed  to   underrate  the 
intellectual  talent  which  has  produced  some  of  the  works 
to  which  I  allude,)  but  when  I   have  finished  the  perusal, 
and  reflect,  that  all  the   scenes  which   passed    before    my 
mental  eye,  were  only  so  many  unsubstantial  images,  the 
fictions  of   a   lively   imagination — I    cannot  indulge  in  ra- 
tional or  religious  reflections   on    the    subject,    nor    derive 
a  single  moral  instruction,    any  more  than  I  can  do  from  a 
dream  or  a   vision   of  the    night.       When    I    survey    the 
scenes  of  creation  ;    when    I    read    the  history  of  ancient 
nations  ;    when  I  peruse  the   authentic   narratives  of  the 
voyager  and  traveller  ;    when  I  search  the  records  of  rev- 
elation ;    and  when  I  contemplate  the  present  state  of  so- 
ciety around  me, — I  learn  something  of  the  character,  the 
attributes,  and  the  providence  of  God,  and  of  the  moral 
and   physical   state   of    mankind.      From   almost    every 
scene,  and  every  incident,  I  can  deduce  instructions  calcu- 
lated to  promote  the  exercise  of  humility,  meekness,  grat- 
itude   and  resignation — to  lead  the  mind  to   God  as  the 
source  of  felicity,   and   as   the  righteous  governor  of  tho 
world — and  to  impress  the  heart  with  a  sense  of  the  folly 
and  depravity  of  man.     But  it  is  obvious,  that  no  distinct 
moral  instructions  can  be  fairly  deduced   from  scenes,  cir- 
cumstances, and  events  "  which  never  did  nor  can  lake 


FUTILITY    OF     FICTITIOUS    SCENES.  385 

place." — Such,  however,  is,  at  present,  the  tide  of  public 
opinion  on  this  subject,  that  we  might  as  soon  attempt  to 
stem  a  mountain  torrent  by  a  breath  of  wind,  or  to  inter- 
rupt the  dashings  of  a  mighty  cataract  by  the  waving  of 
our  hand,  as  to  expect  to  counteract,  by  any  considerations 
that  can  be  adduced,  the  current  of  popular  feeling  in  fa- 
vour of  novels,  and  tales  of  knights,  and  of  tournaments ; 
of  warlike  chieftains,  and  military  encounters.  Such  a 
state  of  feeling,  I  presume,  never  can  exist  in  a  world 
where  moral  evil  has  never  shed  its  malign  influence. 

Again,  if  we  consider  the  sentiments  and  the  conduct 
of  many  of  our  Literary  and  Scientific  characters^  we  shall 
find  that  even  philosophy  has  had  very  little  influence,  in 
counteracting  the  stream  of  malignity,  and  promoting  the 
exercise  of  benevolence.  Do  not  many  of  our  literary 
characters  in  their  disputes  frequently  display  as  keen  re- 
sentments, and  as  malevolent  dispositions,  as  the  professed 
warrior,  and  the  man  of  the  world  ?  And  have  they  not 
sometimes  resorted  even  to  horsewhips  and  to  pistols  to 
decide  their  contests  ?  In  proof  of  this,  need  I  refer  to 
the  gentlemen  now  or  formerly  connected  with  the  "  Edin- 
burgh Magazine,"  "  Blackwood's  Magazine,"  the  "  Lon- 
don Magazine,"  the  "  Quarterly  Review,"  and  other  pe- 
riodical works — and  to  the  mean  jealousies  and  conten- 
tions which  have  been  displayed,  and  the  scurrilous  para- 
graphs which  have  been  written  by  various  descriptions 
of  competitors  for  literary  fame  ?  Such  a  display  of  tem- 
per and  conduct  in  men  of  professed  erudition,  is  not  only 
inconsistent  with  moral  principle,  and  the  dignity  of  true 
science,  but  has  a  tendency  to  hold  up  philosophy  and 
substantial  knowledge  to  the  scorn  and  contempt  both  of 
the  Christian  and  of  the  political  world. 

Again,  is  it  an  evidence  that  ijenevolence  forms  a  prom- 
inent character  of  modern  civilized  society,  when  philan- 
thropists, who  have  devoted  their  substance  and  their  men- 
tal activities  to  the  promotion  of  the  best  interests  of  man- 
kind ;  and  when  men  of  science,  who  have  enlarged  the 
sphere  of  our  knowledge,  and  improved  the  useful  arts, 
are  suflfered  to  pine  away  in  penury  and  neglect,  and  to 
descend  into  the  grave,  without  even  a  "  frail  memorial" 
to  mark  the  spot  where  their  mortal  remains  are  deposi- 
ted ;  while,  on  the  warrior,  who  has  driven  the  plough- 


386  THE    PHILOSOPHY     OF    RELIGION. 

share  of  destruction  tliroiigh  the  world,  and  wounded  the 
peace  of  a  thousand  families,  enormous  pensions  are  be- 
stowed, and  trophies  erected  to  perpetuate  his  memory  to 
future  generations  ?  And  how  comes  it  to  pass,  if  benevo- 
lence and  justice  be  distinguishing  features  of  our  age  and 
nation,  that  Authors,  whose  writings  afford  instruction  and 
entertainment  to  a  numerous  public,  are  frequently  suffer- 
ed to  pine  away  in  anxiety  and  distress,  and  to  remain  in 
hopeless  indigence,  while  publishers  and  booksellers  are 
fattening  on  the  fruit  of  their  labours  ?  Yet,  while  we  leave 
them  to  remain  in  abject  penury,  during  life, — no  sooner 
have  their  spirits  taken  their  flight  into  the  world  un- 
known, than  subscriptions  are  set  on  foot,  statues  and 
mausoleums  are  erected,  flattering  inscriptions  are  engrav- 
ed on  their  tombs,  and  anniversary  dinners  are  appointed 
to  celebrate  their  memories.  Such  displays  of  liberality 
might  have  been  of  essential  benefit  to  the  individuals, 
while  they  sojourned  within  the  hmits  of  this  sublunary 
sphere ;  but  they  are  altogether  futile  and  superfluous  in 
relation  to  the  separate  spirits,  which  are  now  placed  for- 
ever beyond  the  reach  of  such  vain  pageantry  aud  posthu- 
mous honours. 

If  we  now  attend,  for  a  little,  to  the  Penal  Codes  of 
civilized  nations,  we  shall  find  them,  not  only  glaringly 
deficient  in  a  spirit  of  benevolence,  but  deeply  imbued 
with  a  spirit  of  cruelty  and  revenge.  The  great  object  of 
all  civil  punishments,  ought  to  be,  not  only  the  prevention 
of  crimes,  but  also  the  reformation  of  the  criminal,  in  or- 
der that  a  conviction  of  the  evil  of  his  conduct  may  be  im- 
pressed upon  his  mind,  and  tliat  he  may  be  restored  to  so- 
ciety as  a  renovated  character.  When  punishments  are 
inflicted  with  a  degree  of  severity  beyond  what  is  nec- 
essary to  accomplish  these  ends,  the  code  which  sanctions 
them,  becomes  an  engine  of  cruelty  and  of  injustice.  But, 
the  reformation,  and  the  ultimate  happiness  of  the  crimi- 
nal, never  seem  to  have  been  once  taken  into  considera- 
tion, in  the  construction  of  the  criminal  codes  of  any  na- 
tion in  Europe.  The  infliction  of  jmin.,  and  even  of  tor- 
ture^ and  of  every  thing  that  is  degrading  and  horrible,  to 
a  degree  far  beyond  what  is  necessary  for  the  security  of 
the  public,  and  which  has  no  other  tendency  than  to  har- 
den the  culprit,  seems  to  have  been  the  great  object  of  the 


SYSTEM    OF    PRISON    DISCIPLINE.  387 

framers  of  our  penal  statutes.  If  a  man  has  committed  an 
offence  against  society,  he  is  either  confined  to  a  jail, 
thrown  into  a  dungeon,  loaded  with  irons,  whipped 
through  the  streets,  banished  to  a  distant  land,  hung  upon 
a  gallows,  or  broken  on  the  wheel.  No  system  of  moral 
regimen,  calculated  to  counteract  his  criminal  habits,  to 
impart  instruction  to  his  mind,  and  to  induce  habits  of  in- 
dustry and  temperance,  (except  in  a  few  insulated  cast3s) 
has  yet  been  arranged  by  our  legislators,  so  as  to  render 
punishment  a  blessing  to  the  criminal,  and  to  the  commu- 
nity which  he  has  injured. 

The  following  circumstances,  in  relation  to  punish- 
ments, manifest  a  principle  both  of  folly  and  of  malignity 
in  the  arrangements  of  our  criminal  jurisprudence. — In 
the  first  place,  The  present  system  of  our  prison  disci- 
phne,  instead  of  operating  to  prevent  the  increase  of 
crime,  has  a  direct  and  inevitable  tendency  to  produce 
vice  and  wretchedness,  and  to  render  our  jails  the  nur- 
series of  every  depraved  propensity,  and  of  every  spe- 
cies of  moral  turpitude.  From  the  indiscriminate  associ- 
ation of  the  young  and  the  old,  and  of  persons  charged 
with  every  degree  of  criminality,  the  youthful  and  inex- 
perienced culprit  is  soon  tutored  in  all  the  arts  of  fraud, 
deception,  and  robbery,  and  prepared  for  acting  a  more 
conspicuous  and  atrocious  part  on  the  theatre  of  crime. 
"  I  makeno  scruple  to  affirm,"  says  Mr.  Howard,  "  that, 
if  it  were  the  aim  and  wish  of  magistrates  to  effect  the 
destruction,  present  and  future,  of  young  dehnquents, 
they  could  not  desire  a  more  effectual  method  than  to 
confine  them  in  our  prisons."  Of  the  truth  of  this  po- 
sition, the  reader  will  find  an  ample  and  impressive  proof 
in  the  Honourable  T.  F.  Buxton's  "  Inquiry  whether 
crime  and  misery  are  produced  or  prevented  by  our  pre- 
sent system  of  Prison  Discipline." 

In  the  second  place,  The  disproportion  between  crimes 
and  punishments,  and  the  sanguinary  character  of  every 
civilized  code  of  penal  statutes,  are  directly  repugnant 
to  every  principle  of  justice  and  benevolence.  The  pun- 
ishment assigned  by  the  law  to  the  man  who  steals  a 
sheep,  or  pilfers  a  petty  article  of  merchandise,  is  the 
same  as  that  which  it  inflicts  on  the  miscreant,  who  ha« 
imbrued  his  hands  in  his  father's  blood.     In  France,  prior 


388  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

to  the'revolution,  the  punishment  of  robbery,   either  with 
or  without  murder,  was  the  same  ;  and  hence  it  happen- 
ed, that  robbery  was  seldom  or  never  perpetrated  without 
murder.     For,  when  men   see  no  distinction  made  in  the 
nature    and  gradations  of  punishment,  they  will  be    gener- 
ally led  to  conclude,    that  there  is  no  distinction  in  the 
guilt.     In  our  own  country,  it  is  a  melancholy  truth,  that, 
among  the  variety  of  actions    which  men  are  daily  liable 
to  commit,  no  less  than  one   hundred  and  sixty  have   been 
declared,  by   act  of  parliament,    to   be    felonies,  without 
benefit  of  clergy  ;  or,  in  other  words,  to  be  worthy  of  in- 
stant death.*     It  is  an  indelible   disgrace  to  an  age  which 
boasts  of  its  being  enlightened    with  the  beams  of  science 
and  of  religion,  that  laws,  framed  in  an  ignorant  and   bar- 
barous age,  and  intended  to  apply  to  temporary  or  fortui- 
tous occurrences,  should  still  be  acted  upon,  and  stand  un- 
repealed in  the  criminal  codes    of  the  nations   of  Europe, 
in  the  19th  century  of  the  Christian   era,  when   so  many 
distinguished    writers  have     demonstrated    their    futility, 
their  injustice,  and  their  inadequacy  for  the  prevention  of 
crime.     For,   instead  of  diminishing  the   number  of  ofl'en- 
ders,  experience  proves,  that  crimes  are   almost  uniformly 
increased,  by  an  undue  severity  of  punishment.     This  was 
strikingly    exemplified  in   the   reign  of  Henry    YIII.  re- 
markable for  the  abundance  of  its  crimes,    which    certain- 
ly did  not  arise  from  the  mildness  of  punishment.     In  that 
reign  alone,  says  his  historian,  seventy-two  thousand  execu- 
tions took  place,    for  robberies  alone,  exclusive  of  the  reli- 
ous  murders  which  are  known  to  have  been  numerous, — 
amounting,  on  an  average,  to  six  executions  a  day,  Sundays 
included,  during  the  whole  reign  of  that  monarch. 

In  the  next  place.  The  shocking  and  unnecessary  cruelties 
which  are  frequently  inflicted  upon  criminals,  are  incon- 
sistent M'ith  every  principle  of  reason  and  of  justice,  and 
revolting  to  every  feeling  of  humanity.  If  the  forfeiture 
of  life  ought,  in  any  case,  to  be  resorted  to  as  the  punish- 
ment of  certain  crimes,  humanity  dictates,  that  it  should 
be  accompanied  with  as  little  pain  as  possible  to  the  unfor- 
tunate criminal.     But,  man,  even  civilized  man,  has  glutted 


*  Ency.  Brit.  Art.  Criim. 


SHOCKING    CRUELTIES.  389 

his  savage  disposition,  by  inventing  tortures  to  agonize  his 
fellow-man,  at  which  humanity  shudders.  It  is  not  enough, 
that  a  poor  unfortunate  wretch,  in  the  prime  of  life,  whom 
depravity  has  hurried  to  the  commission  of  crime,  should 
be  deprived  of  his  mortal  existence, — his  soul  must  be 
harrowed  up  at  the  prospect  of  the  prolonged  torments 
which  he  must  endure,  before  his  spirit  is  permitted  to 
take  its  flight  to  the  world  unknown.  Instead  of  simply 
strangling  or  beheading  the  unhappy  criminal,  his  flesh 
must  be  torn  with  pincers,  his  bones  dislocated,  his  hands 
chopped  off",  or  his  body  left  to  pine  away  in  exquisite  tor- 
ments, amidst  devouring  flames.  In  Sweden,  murder  is 
punished  by  feeheading  and  quartering,  after  having  pre- 
viously chopped  ofl"  the  hand.  In  Germany,  Poland,  Ita- 
ly, and  other  parts  of  the  Continent,  it  was  customary, 
and,  I  believe,  still  is,  in  some  places,  to  put  criminals  to 
death,  by  breaking  them  alive  on  the  wheel.  The  follow- 
ing account  is  given,  by  a  traveller,  who  was  in  Berhn,  in, 
1819,  of  the  execution  of  a  man  for  murder,  which  shows 
that  the  execution  of  criminals,  in  Prussia,  is  frequently 
distinguished  by  a  species  of  cruelty  worthy  of  the  worst 
days  of  the  inquisition.  Amidst  the  parade  of  executioners, 
officers  of  police,  and  other  judicial  authorities,  the  beat- 
ing of  drums,  and  the  waving  of  flags  and  colours,  the 
criminal  mounted  the  scaffold.  No  ministers  of  religion 
appeared  to  gild  the  horrors  of  eternity,  and  to  soothe  the 
agonies  of  the  criminal  ;  and  no  repentant  prayer  closed 
his  quivering  lips.  "  Never,"  says  the  narrator,  "  shall  I 
forget  the  one  bitter  look  of  imploring  agony  that  he  threw 
around  him,  as  immediately  on  stepping  on  the  scaflx)ld, 
his  coat  was  rudely  torn  from  off"  his  shoulders.  He  was 
then  thrown  down,  the  cords  fixed  round  his  neck,  which 
were  drawn  until  strangulation  almost  commenced.  Ano- 
ther executioner  then  approached,  bearing  in  his  hands  a 
heavy  wheel,  bound  with  iron,  with  which  he  violently 
struck  the  legs,  arms,  and  chest,  and  lastly  the  head  of  the 
criminal.  I  was  unfortunately  near  enough  to  witness  his 
mangled  and  bleeding  body  still  convulsed.  It  was  then 
carried  down  for  interment,  and,  in  less  than  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  from  the  beginning  of  his  torture,  the  corpse  was 
completely  covered  with  earth.  Several  large  stooes, 
33 


390  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGIOPT. 

which  were  thrown  upon  him,  hastened  his  last  gasp  ;  he 
was  mangled  into  eternity  /" 

In  Russia,  the  severest  punishments  are  frequently  in- 
flicted for  the  most  trivial  offences.  The  knout  is  one 
of  the  most  common  punishments  in  that  country.  This 
instrument  is  a  thong  made  of  the  skin  of  an  elk  or  of  a 
wild  ass,  so  hard  that  a  single  stroke  is  capable  of  cutting 
the  flesh  to  the  bone. — The  following  description  is  given 
by  Olearius  of  the  manner  in  which  he  saw  the  knout  in- 
flicted on  eight  men,  and  one  woman,  only  for  selling 
brandy  and  tobacco  without  a  license.  "  The  execution- 
er's man,  after  stripping  them  down  to  the  waist,  tied  their 
feet,  and  took  one  at  a  time  on  his  back.  The  execu- 
tioner stood  at  three  paces  distance,  and,  springing  for- 
ward with  the  knout  in  his  hand, — whenever  he  struck,  the 
blood  gushed  out  at  every  blow.  The  men  had  each 
twenty-five  or  twenty- six  lashes  ;  the  woman,  though  only 
sixteen,  fainted  away.  After  their  backs  were  thus  dread- 
fully mangled,  they  were  tied  together  two  and  two  ;  and 
those  who  sold  tobacco  having  a  little  of  it,  and  those  who 
sold  brandy  a  little  bottle  put  about  their  necks  ;  they 
were  then  whipped  through  the  city  of  Petersburgh  for 
about  a  mile  and  a  half,  and  then  brought  back  to  the 
place  of  their  punishment,  and  dismissed."  This  is  \vhat 
is  termed  the  moderate  knout  ;  for  when  it  is  given  with 
the  utmost  severity,  the  executioner,  striking  the  flank  un- 
der the  ribs,  cuts  the  flesh  to  the  bowels  ;  and  therefore, 
it  is  no  wonder  that  many  die  of  this  inhuman  punish- 
ment.— The  punishment  of  the  pirates  and  robbers  who 
infest  the  banks  of  the  Wolga,  is  another  act  of  savage 
cruelty  common  in  Russia.  A  float  is  built,  whereon  a 
gallows  is  erected,  on  which  is  fastened  a  number  of  iron 
hooks,  and  on  these  the  wretched  criminals  are  hung  alive 
by  the  ribs.  The  float  is  then  launched  into  the  stream, 
and  orders  are  giver  to  all  the  towns  and  villages  on  the 
borders  of  the  river,  that  none,  upon  pain  of  death,  shall 
aflbrd  the  least  relief  to  any  of  these  wretches.  These 
malefactors  sometimes  hano:,  in  this  manner,  three,  four, 
and  even  Ave  days  alive.  'J'he  pain  produces  a  raging  fe- 
ver, in  which  they  utter  the  most  horrid  imprecations,  im- 


CRUEL    PUNISHMENTS.  391 

ploring  the  relief  of  water  and  other   liquors.*     During 
the  reign   of  Peter   the  Great,  the   robbers  who  infested 
various  parts  of  his  dominions,   particularly  the  banks  of 
the  Wolga,  were  hung  up  in  this  manner  by  hundreds  and 
thousands,  and  left  to  perish  in  the  most  dreadlul  manner. 
Even  yet,  die   boring  of  die  tongue,  and  the  cutting  of  it 
out,  are  practised  in  this   country  as   aijt  inferior  species  of 
punishment.     Such  cruel  punishments,^publicly    inflicted, 
can  have  no  other  tendency  than  to  demoralize  the  minds 
of  the  populace,  to  blunt  their  natural  feelings,   and  to  ren- 
der criminal  characters  still  more  desperate  :  and  hence 
we  need  not  wonder    at  what  travellers   affirm  respecting 
the  Russians,  that  they  are  very  indifierent  as  to  life  or 
death,  and  undergo  capital  punishments  with  unparalleled 
apathy  and  indolence. 

Even  among  European  nations  more  civilized  than  the 
Russians,  similar  tortures  have  been  inflicted  upon 
criminals.  The  execution  of  Damiens,  in  1757,  for  at- 
tempting to  assassinate  Louis  XV.  King  of  France,  was 
accompanied  with  tortures,  the  description  of  ^vhich  is 
sufficient  to  harrow  up  the  feelings  of  the  most  callous 
mind — tortures,  which  could  scarcely  have  been  exceed- 
ed in  intensity  and  variety,  although  they  had  been  de- 
vised and  executed  by  the  ingenuity  of  an  infernal  fiend. 
And  yet,  they  were  beheld  with  a  certain  degree  of  apa- 
thy by  a  surrounding  popidace ;  and  even  councillors  and 
physicians  could  talk  together  about  the  best  mode  of 
tearing  asunder  the  limbs  of  the  Avietched  victim,  with  as 
much  composure  as  if  they  had  been  dissecting  a  dead 
subject,  or  carving  a  pullet.  Even  in  Britain,  at  no  dis- 
tant period,  similar  cruelties  were  practised.  Those  who 
are  guilty  of  high  treason  are  condemned,  by  our  law, 
"  to  be  iianged  on  a  gallows  for  some  minutes ;  then  cut 
down,  ichile  yet  alive,  the  heart  to  be  taken  out  and  ex- 
posed to  public  view,  and  the  entrails  burned."  Though  the 
most  cruel  part  of  this  sentence  has  never  been  actually  in- 
flicted in  our  times,  yet  it  is  a  disgrace  to  Britons  that  such 
a  statute  should  still  stand  unrepealed  in  our  penal  code. — 


*  See  Han  way's  "Travels  through  Russia  and  Persia" — Salmon's 
Present  State  of  all  Nations,"  vol  6. — Guthrie's  Geography,  &.c. 


392  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

The  practice,  too,  of  torturing  supposed  criminals  for  the 
purpose  of  extorting  a  confession  of  guilt,  was,  till  a  late 
period,  common  over  all  the  countries  of  Europe  ;  and, 
if  I  am  not  mistaken,  is  still  resorted  to,  in  several  parts 
of  the  Continent.  Hence,  Baron  Bielfeld,  in  his  "Ele- 
ments of  Universal  Erudition,"  published  in  1770,  lays 
down  as  one  of  Uae  branches  of  criminal  jurisprudence, 
"  The  different  kirns  of  tortures  for  the  discovery  of  truth.'''' 
{Such  a  practice  is  not  only  cruel  and  unjust,  but  absurd 
in  the  highest  degree,  and  repugnant  to  every  principle  of 
reason.  For,  as  the  Marquis  Beccaria  has  well  observed, 
"It  is  confounding  all  relations  to  expect  that  a  man 
should  be  both  the  accuser,  and  the  accused,  and  that  paiii 
should  he  the  test  of  truth  ;  as  if  truth  resided  in  the  mus- 
cles and  fibres  of  a  wretch  in  torture.  By  this  method, 
the  robust  will  escape,  and  the  feeble  be  condemned. — 
To  discover  truth  by  this  method,  is  a  problem  which 
may  be  better  resolved  by  a  mathematician  than  a  judge, 
and  maybe  thus  stated:  The  force  of  the  muscles  and  the 
sensibility  of  the  nerves  of  an  innocent  •person  heing  giveUy 
it  is  required  to  find  the  degree  of  pain  necessary  to  make 
him  confess  himself  guilty  of  a  given  crime.''''* 


*  See  Beccaria's  "Essay  on  Crimes  and  Punishments"  p.  52,  5Q. 
The  following  is  a  brief  summary  of  the  principal  punishments  that 
liavc  been  adopted  by  men,  in  different  countries,  for  tormenting  and 
destroying  each  other.  Capital  punishments — Beheading,  strangling, 
crucifixion,  drowning,  burning,  roasting,  hanging  by  the  neck,  the  arm' 
or  the  leg ;  starving,  sawing,  exposing  to  wild  beasts,  rending  asunder 
by  horses  drawing  opposite  ways;  shooting,buryingalive,blowingirom 
the  mouth  of  a  cannon,  compulsory  deprivation  of  sleep,  rolling  in  a 
barrel  stuck  with  nails,  cutting  to  pieces,  hanging  by  the  ribs,  poison- 
ing, ])rcssing  slowly  to  death,  by  a  weight  laid  on  the  breast ;  casting 
headlong  from  a  rock,  tearing  out  the  bowels,  pulling  to  pieces  with 
red  hot  pincers,  stretching  on  the  rack,  breaking  on  the  wheel,  impal- 
ing, flaying'  alive,  cutting  out  the  heart,  &c.  &c.  &c.  Punislunents 
short  of  death  have  been  such  as  the  following.  Fine,  pillory,  impris- 
onment ;  compulsory  labour  at  the  mines,  galleys,  higlnvays,  or  cor- 
rection-house ;  whipping,  bastoiuvding;  mutilation,  by  cutting  away 
the  ears,  the  nose,  the  tongue,  the  breasts  of  women,  the  foot,  the 
hand  ;  squeezing  the  marrow  from  the  bones  with  screws  or  wedges, 
castration,  ))utting  out  the  eyes  ;  banishment,  running  the  gauntlet, 
drumming,  shaving  off  the  hair,  burning  on  the  liand  or  forehead  ;  and 
many  others  of  a  similar  nature.  Could  the  ingenuity  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Top/iet  have  invented  punishments  more  cruel  and  revolting-? 
Has  any  one  of  these  modes  of  punishment  a  tendency  to  reform  the 


SLAVE    TRADE.  393 

If  the  confined  limits  of  the  present  work  had  admitted, 
I  might  have  prosecuted  these  illustrations  to  a  much 
greater  extent.  I  might  have  traced  the  operations  of 
malevolence  in  the  practice  of  that  most  shocking  and 
abominable  traffic,  the  Slave  Trade — the  eternal  disgrace 
of  individuals  and  of  nations  calling  themselves  civilized. 
This  is  an  abomination  which  has  been  encouraged  by 
almost  every  nation  in  Europe,  and  even  by  the  enlighten- 
ed States  of  America.  And  although  Great  Britain  has 
formally  prohibited,  by  a  law,  the  importation  of  slaves 
from  Africa  ;  yet,  in  all  her  West  Indian  colonies,  slavery 
in  its  most  cruel  and  degrading  forms  still  exists  ;  and  ev- 
ery proposition,  and  every  plan  for  restoring  the  negroes 
to  their  natural  liberty,  and  to  the  rank  which  they  hold 
in  the  scale  of  existence,  is  pertinaciously  resisted  by  gen- 
tlemen  planters,  who  would  spurn  at  the  idea  of  being  con- 
sidered as  either  infidels  or  barbarians.  They  even  at- 
tempt to  deprive  these  degraded  beings  of  the  chance  of 
obtaining  a  happier  existence  in  a  future  world,  by  en- 
deavouring to  withhold  from  them  the  means  of  instruc- 
tion, and  by  persecuting  their  instructors.  "  In  Dcmerara 
alone  there  are  76,000  immortal  souls  linked  to  sable  bo- 
dies, while  there  are  but  3,500  whites  ;  and  yet,  for  the 
sake  of  these  three  thousand  whites,  the  seventy-six  thou- 
sand, with  all  their  descendants,  are  to  be  kept  in  igno- 
rance of  the  way  of  salvation,  for  no  other  purpose  than  to 
procure  a  precarious  fortune  for  a  very  few  individuals  out 
of  their  sweat  and  blood."  Is  such  conduct  consistent 
with  the  spirit  of  benevolence,  or  even  with  the  common 
feelings  of  humanity  ? — I  might  have  traced  the  same  ma- 
lignant principle,  in  the  practice  of  a  set  of  men  denom- 
inated wreckers,  who,  by  setting  up  false  lights,  allure  ma- 
riners to  destruction,  that  they  may  enrich  themselves  by 
plundering  the  wrecks — in  the  icarlike  dispositions  of  all 
the  governments  of  Europe,  and  the  enormous  sums  which 


eriminal,  and  promote  his  happiness  ?  On  the  contrary,  have  they  not 
all  a  direct  tendency  to  irritate,  to  harden,  and  to  excite  fcelingg  of 
revenge  ?  Nothing  shows  the  malevolent  dispositions  of  a  great  por- 
tion of  the  human  race,  in  so  striking  a  light,  as  the  punishments  they 
have  inflicted  on  one  another  ;  for  these  are  characteristic,  not  of  m- 
iulated  individuals  only,  but  of  nations^  in  their  collective  capacity. 
33* 


304  THE    PlIILOSOFIIV    OF    RELIGIOX. 

have  been  expended  in  the  work  of  devastation,  and  of 
human  destruction,  while  they  have  lefuscd  to  give  the 
least  direct  encouragement  to  philanthropic  institutions, 
and  to  the  improvement  of  the  community  in  knowledge 
and  virtue — and  in  that  spirit  of  tyranny,  and  thirst  for  de- 
spotic power,  which  have  led  them  to  crush  the  rising  intel- 
ligence of  the  people,  and  to  lend  a  deaf  ear  to  their  most 
reasonable  demands.  For,  there  is  no  government,  on  this 
side  of  the  Atlantic,  so  far  as  I  know,  that  has  ever  yet 
formed  an  institution  for  promoting  the  objects  of  general 
benevolence,  for  counteracting  the  baleful  effects  of  deprav- 
ity and  ignorance,  and  for  enlightening  the  minds  of  the 
people  in  useful  knowledge ;  or  which  has  even  contributed 
a  single  mite  to  encourage  such  institutions  after  they  were 
set  on  foot  by  the  people  themselves.  Knowledge  is  simply 
permitted  to  be  diffused  ;  it  is  never  directly  encouraged  ; 
its  progress  is  frequently  obstructed  ;  and,  in  some  in- 
stances, it  is  positively  interdicted,  as  appears  from  the 
following  barbarous  edict,  published  in  the  year  1825. — "  A 
Royal  Sardinian  Edict  directs,  that  henceforth  no  person 
shall  learn  to  read  or  write  who  cannot  prove  the  posses- 
sion of  property  above  the  value  of  1500  livres,  (or  about 
£60  sterhng.)  The  qualification  for  a  student  is  the  pos- 
session of  an  income  to  the  same  amount."*  Such  is  the 
firm  determination  of  many  of  the  kings  and  princes  of 
Europe  to  hold  their  subjects  in  abject  slavery  and  ignor- 
ance ;  and  such  is  the  desperate  tendency  of  proud  ambi- 
tion, that  they  will  rather  sufier  their  thrones  to  shake 
and  totter  beneath  them,  than  give  encouragement  to  lib- 
eral opinions,  and  to  the  general  diffusion  of  knowledge. 
— But,  instead  of  illustrating  such  topics  in  minute  detail, 
I  shall  conclude  this  section  by  presenting  a  few  miscel- 
laneous facts,  tending  to  corroborate  several  of  the  preced- 
ing statements,  and  to  illustrate  the  moral  state  of  the  civi- 
lized world. 

The  following  statement,  extracted  from  "  Ncale's 
Travels  through  Germany,  Poland,  Moldavia,  and  'J'ur- 
key,"  exhibits  a  faint  picture  of  the  state  of  morals  in  Po- 
land.    *'  If  ever  there  was   a  country,"  says  Mr.  Neale, 


Hamburgh  Paper,  August,  1825. 


STATE  OF  MORALS  IN  POLAND.  395 

"  where  '  might  constitutes  right,'  that  country  was  Po- 
land,  prior  to  its  partition."  The  most  dreadful  oppres- 
sion, the  most  execrable  tyranny,  the  most  wanton  cruel- 
ties w^ere  daily  exercised  by  the  nobles  upon  the  unfor- 
tunate peasants. — Let  us  quote  a  few  facts  ;  they  will 
speak  volumes.  A  Polish  peasant's  life  was  held  of  the 
same  value  with  one  of  his  horned  cattle  ;  if  his  lord  slew 
him,  he  was  fined  only  100  Polish  florins,  or  £2:  16, 
sterling.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  a  man  of  ignoble  birth 
dared  to  raise  his  hand  against  a  nobleman,  death  was  the 
inevitable  punishment.  If  any  one  presumed  to  question 
the  nobility  of  a  magnate,  he  was  forced  to  prove  his  as- 
sertion, or  suffer  death  ;  nay,  if  a  powerful  man  chose  to 
take  a  fancy  to  the  field  of  his  humbler  neighbour,  and  to 
erect  a  landmark  upon  it,  and  if  that  landmark  remained 
for  three  days,  the  poor  man  lost  his  possession.  The 
atrocious  cruelties  that  were  habitually  exercised,  are  hard- 
ly credible.  A  Masalki  caused  his  hounds  to  devour 
a  peasant  who  happened  to  frighten  his  liorse.  A  Radzivil 
liad  the  belly  of  one  of  his  subjects  ripped  open,  to  thrust 
his  feet  into  it,  hoping  thereby  to  be  cured  of  a  malady  that 
tormented  him. 

One  of  the  most  infallible  signs  of  a  degraded  state  of 
morals  in  any  country,  is  the  corrupt  administration  of 
justice.  As  specimens  of  Polish  justice,  Mr.  Neale  men- 
tions the  case  of  a  merchant  of  Warsaw,  whom  it  cost  1400 
ducats  to  procure  the  conviction  and  execution  of  two  rob- 
bers who  had  plundered  him  ;  and  another  case  still  more 
flagrant,  that  of  a  peasant  who  had  apprehended  an  assas- 
sin, and  who,  on  taking  him  to  the  Staroste,  vvas  coolly 
dismissed  with  the  prisoner,  and  the  corpse  of  the  murder- 
ed person  which  he  had  brought  in  his  wagon  ;  because 
lie  had  not  ten  ducats — the  fee  demanded  by  the  magis- 
trate for  his  interference. — "  During  the  reign  of  Stanis- 
laus Poniatowsky,  a  petty  noble  having  refused  to  resign 
to  Count  Thisenhaus  his  small  estate,  the  Count  invited 
him  to  dinner,  as  if  desirous  of  amicably  adjusting  the 
affair  ;  and  whilst  the  knight,  in  the  pride  of  his  heart 
at  such  unexpected  honour,  assiduously  plied  the  bottle, 
the  count  despatched  some  hundreds  of  peasants  with  axes, 
ploughs,  and  wagons,  ordering  the  village,  Avhich  con- 
sisted only  of  a  few  wooden  buildings,  to  be  pulled  down, 


396  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

the  materials  carried  away,  and  the  plough  to  be  passed 
over  the  ground  which  the  village  had  occupied.  This 
was  accordingly  done.  The  nobleman  on  his  return 
home  in  the  evening,  could  find  neither  road,  house,  nor 
village.  The  master  and  his  servant  were  alike  bewil- 
dered, and  knew  not  whether  they  were  dreaming  or  had 
lost  the  power  of  discrimination ;  but  their  surprise  and 
agony  were  deemed  so  truly  humorous,  that  the  whole 
court  was  delighted  with  the  joke!"  How  depraved  must 
be  the  state  of  moral  feeling,  when  the  injustice  uiflicted 
upon  fellow-creatures,  and  the  miseries  they  endure,  be- 
come the  subjects  of  merriment  and  derision ! — "  The 
morals  of  the  people  of  Poland,"  says  Mr.  Neale,  "  were, 
and  continue  to  be,  nearly  at  the  lowest  point  of  debase- 
ment. Female  chastity  is  a  phenomenon  ;  M'hile  the  male 
sex  are  proportionally  profligate.  Drunkenness,  gluttony, 
and  sensuality,  prevail  to  a  degree  unknown  in  other 
countries  in  Europe." 

The  following  extract  from  Mr.  Ilowison's  "  Foreign 
Scenes  and  Travelling  Kecreations,"  will  convey  some 
idea  of  the  state  of  morals  in  the  island  of  Cuba.  "  No- 
thing can  be  worse,"  says  Mr.  11.  "  than  the  state  of  soci- 
ety in  Havanna.  The  lower  classes  are  all  alike  disso- 
lute and  unprincipled.  Assassinations  are  so  frequent  that" 
they  excite  little  attention  ;  and  assault  and  robbery  are 
matters  of  course,  when  a  man  passes  alone  and  at 
night  through  a  solitary  quarter  of  the  town.  Several  as- 
sassinations take  place  in  the  streets  every  week."  This 
depraved  and  lawless  state  of  things  may  be  ascribed  to 
three  causes  :  the  incflicienc)^  of  the  police ;  the  love  of 
gaming  and  dissipation  that  prevails  among  the  lower  or- 
ders; and  the  facility  with  which  absolution  of  the  great- 
est crimes  may  be  obtained  from  the  priests.  In  fact,  the 
Catholic  religion,  as  it  now  exists  in  Cuba,  tends  to  en- 
courage rather  than  to  check  vice.  We  shall  suppose,  for 
example,  that  a  man  makes  himself  master  of  100  dollars 
by  robbing  or  by  murdering  another  ;  and  that  the  church 
grants  him  absolution  for  half  the  sum  thus  lawlessly  ob- 
tained ;  it  is  evident  that  he  will  gain  50  dollars  by  the 
whole  transaction,  and  think  himself  as  innocent  as  he 
was  before  he  committed  the  crime.  No  man  need  mount 
the  Havanna  scaffold,   whatever  be  his    crime,  if  he  has 


STATE    OF    MORALS    IN    CUBA.  397 

the  means  of  ministering-  to  the  rapacity  of  the  church, 
and  of  bribing  the  civil  authorities.  A  poor  friendless 
criminal  is  executed  in  a  few  days  after  sentence  is  pro- 
nounced upon  him  ;  but  a  person  of  wealth  and  influence 
generally  manages  to  put  ofl'  capital  punislmient  for  a  se- 
ries of  years,  and  at  last  get  it  commuted  to  fine  and 
imprisonment.  Of  these  depraved  practices,  Mr.  Howi- 
son  states  several  striking  examples. — Those  statements 
of  Mr.  H.  in  reference  to  the  moral  state  of  Cuba,  I 
find  corroborated  by  a  short  account  of  this  island  in 
the  Monthly  Magazine  for  March  1820,  page  120. 
"  They  act  here  very  frequently  those  sacred  mysteries 
which  so  delighted  our  good  forefathers.  I  have  witness- 
ed (says  the  writer)  the  triumph  of  the  Ave  Maria,  a  tragi- 
comedy, which  closes  with  the  sudden  appearance,  in  the 
midst  of  a  theatre,  of  a  chivalrous  worthy,  mounted  on  a 
real  horse,  shaking  at  the  end  of  a  lance  the  bloody  head 
of  an  infidel.  This  horrid  exhibition  excited  a  titter  of 
enjoyment  in  all  the  spectators.  The  ladies,  in  particular, 
seemed  to  be  highly  entertained  ; — no  fainting  fits,  no 
nervous  attacks.  How  could  a  mere  fiction  agonize  the 
blunt  feelings  of  women,  hardened  by  the  spectacle  of  bull 
fights,  and  almost  every  day  meeting  with  the  dead  body 
of  some  human  being  who  has  been  assassinated?" 

There  is  no  situation  in  which  human  beings  can  be 
placed,  where  we  should  more  naturally  expect  the  mani- 
festation of  benevolent  aff'ections,  than  in  those  scenes  of 
danger  where  all  are  equally  exposed  to  deep  distress,  and 
where  the  exercise  of  sympathy  and  kindness  is  the  only 
thinff  that  can  alleviate  the  anguish  of  the  mind.  When 
the  prospect  of  immediate  death,  or  of  prolonged  agonies 
even  more  dreadful  than  the  simple  pain  of  dissolution,  is 
full  before  the  mind,  one  should  think  that  ferocious  dispo- 
sitions would  be  instantly  curbed,  and  kindly  affections 
begin  to  appear.  Yet,  even  in  such  situations,  it  frequent- 
ly happens,  that  feelings  of  malevolence  and  revenge,  and 
all  the  depraved  passions,  are  most  powerfully  excited  to  ac- 
tion.— The  following  facts  will  tend  to  illustrate  this  remark. 
Mr.  Byron  was  shipwrecked,  in  a  violent  storm,  on  the 
coast  of  South  America.  A  mountainous  sea  broke  over 
the  ship ;  she  was  laid  on  her  beam  ends  ;  darkness  sur- 
rounded them  ;  nothing  was  to  be    seen  but  breakers  all 


398  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

around  ;  and  every  soul  on  board  looked  upon  the  present 
minute  as  his  last.  "  So  terrible  was  the  scene  of  foaming 
breakers  around  us,"  says  Mr.  B.  "  that  one  of  the  brav- 
est men  we  had  could  not  help  expressing  his  dismay  at 
it,  saying,  if  was  too  shocking  a  sight  to  bear."  Even  in 
this  dreadful  situation,  malignant  passions  began  to  ap- 
pear ;  and,  like  the  dashing  waves  around,  to  rage  with 
unbounded  violence.  No  sooner  had  the  morning  thrown 
a  ray  of  light  over  the  dismal  gloom,  and  a  faint  glimpse 
of  land  was  perceived,  than  many  of  the  crew  who,  but  a 
few  minutes  before,  had  shev/n  the  strongest  signs  of  de- 
spair, and  were  on  their  knees  praying  for  mercy,  "  grew 
extremely  riotous,  broke  open  every  chest  and  box  that 
was  at  hand,  stove  in  the  heads  of  casks  of  brandy  and 
wine,  and  got  so  drunk  that  some  of  them  were  drowned 
on  board,  and  lay  floating  about  the  decks  for  some  days 
after."  After  the  greater  part,  to  the  number  of  150  per- 
sons, had  got  to  shore — "  the  boatswain  and  some  of  the 
people  would  not  leave  the  ship  so  long  as  there  was  any 
liquor  to  be  got  at  ;  they  fell  to  beating  every  thing  to 
pieces  that  came  in  their  way,  and  carrying  their  intempe- 
rance to  the  greatest  excess,  broke  open  chests  and  cabins 
for  plunder  that  could  be  of  no  use  to  them.  So  earnest 
were  they  in  this  wantonness  of  theft,  that  one  man  had 
evidently  been  murdered  on  account  of  some  division  of 
the  spoil,  or  for  the  sake  of  the  share  that  fell  to  him,  hav- 
ing all  the  marks  of  a  strangled  corpse."  The  same  ma- 
lignant dispositions  were  displayed,  in  numerous  instances, 
during  their  abode  on  the  desolate  and  barren  island  on 
which  they  had  been  thrown,  notwithstanding  the  hunger, 
the  rains,  the  cold,  and  the  attacks  of  wild  beasts  to  which 
they  were  all  equally  exposed.* 

There  is,  perhaps,  no  occurrence  that  has  happened 
in  modern  times,  which  so  strikingly  displays  the  desper- 
ate malignity  of  human  beings  in  the  midst  of  danger,  as 
the  conduct  of  the  crew  of  the  Medusa  Frigate,  while 
tossing  on  the  raft  by  which  they  endeavoured  to  save 
themselves,  after  that  vessel  had  been  shipwrecked.  The 
Medusa  was  stranded,  in  the  month  of  June,  1816,  on  the 


♦  See  Byron's  "  Narrative  of  the  Loss  of  the  Wager  Man  of  War," 


DEPRAVITY   IN    THE    MIDST  OF    DANGER.  399 

bank  of  Argiiin,  near  the  western  coast  of  Africa.  A  raft 
was  hastily  constructed,  which  was  but  scantily  supplied 
with  provisions.  There  were  five  boats,  which  contained 
in  all  about  240  persons  ;  and,  upon  the  raft,  there  embark- 
ed about  150  individuals.  The  boats  pushed  off  in  a  line, 
towing  the  raft,  and  assuring  the  people  on  board  that 
they  would  conduct  them  safely  to  land.  They  had  not 
proceeded,  however,  above  two  leagues  from  the  wreck, 
when  they,  one  by  one,  cast  off  the  tow-lines,  and  aban- 
doned the  raft  to  its  fate.  By  this  time  the  raft  had  sunk 
below  the  surface  of  the  water  to  the  depth  of  three  feet 
and  a  half,  and  the  people  were  so  squeezed  one  against 
another,  that  it  was  found  impossible  to  move  ;  fore  and  aft 
they  were  up  to  the  middle  in  water.  Night  at  length  came 
on ;  the  wind  freshened  ;  the  sea  began  to  swell  ;  about 
midnight  the  weather  became  very  stormy,  and  the  waves 
broke  over  them  in  every  direction.  Tossed  by  the  waves 
from  one  end  to  the  other,  and  sometimes  precipitated 
into  the  sea  ;  floating  between  life  and  death ;  mourn- 
ing over  their  own  misfortunes ;  certain  of  perishing,  yet 
contending  for  the  remains  of  existence  with  that  cruel 
element  which  menaced  to  swallow  them  up — such  was 
their  situation  till  break  of  day,  when  a  dreadful  specta- 
cle presented  itself.  •  Ten  or  twelve  unhappy  men,  having 
their  extremities  jammed  between  the  spars  of  the  rafl, 
had  perished  in  that  situation,  and  others  had  been  swept 
away  by  the  violence  of  the  waves. — All  this,  however, 
was  nothing  to  the  dreadful  scene  wliich  took  place  the 
foUowino^  night.  "  Already,"  says  the  narrator,  "  was 
the  moral  character  of  the  people  greatly  changed.  A 
spirit  of  sedition  spread  from  man  to  man,  and  manifest- 
ed itself  by  the  most  furious  shouts."  Night  came  on  ; 
the  heavens  were  obscured  with  thick  clouds;  the  wind 
rose,  and  with  it  the  sea  ;  the  waves  broke  over  them  ev- 
ery moment ;  numbers  were  swept  away,  and  several  poor 
wretches  were  smothered  by  the  pressure  of  their  com- 
rades. Both  soldiers  and  sailors  resolved  to  soothe  their 
last  moments  by  drinking  to  excess  ;  they  became  deaf 
to  the  voice  of  reason  ;  boldly  declared  their  intention  of 
murdering  their  officers ;  and,  cutting  the  ropes  which 
held  the  rafts  together,  one  of  them  seizing  an  axe,  actually 
began  the  dreadful  work.     The  officers  rushed  forward  to 


400  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGIOxV. 

quell  the  tumult,  and  the  man  with  the  hatchet  waa  ^ 
the  first  that  fell — the  stroke  of  a  sabre  terminated  his  ex- 
istence. One  fellow  was  detected  secretly  cutting  the  ropes, 
and  was  immediately  thrown  overboard  ;  others  destroyed 
the  shrouds  and  halyards  ;  and  the  mast,  destitute  of  sup- 
port, immediately  fell  on  a  captain  of  infantry,  and  broke 
his  thigh  ;  he  was  instantly  seized  by  the  soldiers  and 
thrown  into  the  sea,  but  was  saved  by  the  opposite  party. 
About  an  hour  after  midnight  the  insurrection  burst  forth 
anew.  They  rushed  upon  the  officers  like  desperate  men, 
each  having  a  knife  or  a  sabre  in  his  hand  ;  and  such  was 
the  fury  of  the  assailants,  that  they  tore  their  flesh,  and 
even  their  clothes  with  their  teeth.  There  was  no  time 
for  hesitation  ;  a  general  slaughter  took  place,  and  the  raft 
was  strewed  with  dead  bodies.  On  the  return  of  day,  it 
was  found  that,  in  the  course  of  the  preceding  night  of 
horror,  sixty-five  of  the  mutineers  had  perished,  and  two 
of  the  small  party  attached  to  the  officers.  A  third  night 
of  horror  approached,  distinguished  by  the  piercing  cries 
of  those  whom  hunger  and  thirst  devoured  ;  and  the  morn- 
ing's sun  showed  them  a  dozen  unfortunate  creatures 
stretched  lifeless  on  the  raft.  The  fourth  night  was  mark- 
ed by  another  massacre.  Some  Spaniards  and  Italians 
conspired  to  throw  the  rest  into  the  sea.  A  Spaniard  was 
riie  first  to  advance  with  a  drawn  knife  ;  the  sailors  seized 
him  and  threw  him  into  the  sea.  The  Italian,  seeing 
this,  jumped  overboard  ;  the  rest  were  mastered,  and  order 
was  restored.  But,  before  the  ship  Argus  came  to  their 
relief,  of  the  150  that  embarked  on  the  raft,  15  unhappy 
creatures  only  remained,  covered  with  wounds  and  bruises, 
almost  naked,  stripped  of  their  skin,  shrivelled  with  the 
rays  of  the  sun,  their  eyes  hollow,  and  their  countenances 
savage. — Such  are  the  dreadful  effects  of  malignity,  whicJi 
produces  more  sufferings  and  fatal  eflccts,  than  the  most 
tremendous  elements  of  nature  ! 

A  certain  portion  of  the  same  spirit  was  lately  displayed, 
by  several  individuals,  on  board  the  Kent  East  Indiaman. 
In  the  midst  of  a  most  violent  gale,  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay, 
when  the  sea  was  running  mountains  high,  this  vessel, 
•ontaining  about  600  persons,  took  fire,  in  consequence  of 
the  spirits  from  a  stoved  cask  having  conununicated  with 
a  lamp ;  and  all  hopes  of  safety  became  extinguished,  till 


AMERICAN   AMUSEMENTS.  401 

the  ship  Cambria,  Captain  Cooke,  hove  in  sight.  But  the 
danger  of  passing  from  the  one  ship  to  the  other,  in  boats, 
in  such  a  tempestuous  sea,  rendered  the  preservation  of  the 
passengers  and  crew  in  a  great  degree  doubtful.  Yet,  in 
the  midst  of  the  danger,  the  alarm  and  the  anguish  which 
accompanied  this  tremendous  scene,  we  are  told  by  the 
narrator,  page  24,  that  "  it  was  suspected  that  one  or  two 
of  those  who  perished,  must  have  sunk  under  the  weight 
of  their  spoils  ;  the  same  individuals  having  been  seen 
eagerly  plundering  the  cuddy  cabins."  And,  a  little  after- 
wards, page  31,  he  adds :  "  Some  time  after  the  shades  of 
night  had  enveloped  us,  I  descended  to  the  cuddy  in  quest 
of  a  blanket  to  shelter  me  from  the  increasing  cold,  and 
the  scene  of  desolation  that  there  presented  itself  vi^as  mel- 
ancholy in  the  extreme.  The  place,  which  only  a  few 
short  hours  before  had  been  the  seat  of  kindly  intercourse, 
and  of  social  gaiety,  was  now  entirely  deserted,  save  by  a 
few  miserable  wretches,  who  were  either  stretched  in  irre- 
coverable intoxication  on  the  floor,  or  prowling  about,  like 
beasts  of  prey,  in  search  of  plunder."* 

The  following  is  a  short  description  of  the  moral  cha- 
racter of  the  inhabitants  of  Carolina,  and  of  one  of  the 
amusements  of  a  people  who  boast  of  their  liberty  and  their 
civilization, — as  it  is  found  in  "  Morse's  American  Geog- 
raphy."    "  The  citizens  of  North  Carolina  who  are  not 


*  See  a  "  Narrative  of  the  Loss  of  the  Kent  East  Indiaman,  by 
Fire,  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  on  the  1st  of  March,  1S25,  by  a  Passeu- 
^er,"  supposed  to  be  Major  Macgregor. — The  humanity  and  intre- 
pidity displayed,  amidst  the  heart-rending  scane  which  this  narrative 
<3escribes — by  Captain  Cobb  of  the  Kent ;  by  Messrs.  Thompson, 
Fearon,  Macgregor,  and  the  other  officers,  and  many  of  the  soldiers  ; 
by  Captain  Cooke  of  the  Cambria,  his  crew,  and  the  Cornish  min- 
ers— is  above  all  praise.  Their  benevolent  and  lieroic  conduct  at  that 
alarming  crisis,  is  far  more  deserving  of  a  public  monument  being 
raised  for  its  commemoration,  than  that  of  many  of  our  military  he- 
roes, in  honour  of  whom  so  many  trophies  have  been  erected.  If 
men,  who  have  been  instrumental  in  destroying  the  lives  and  the 
happiness  of  hundreds  and  of  thousands,  have  pensions  bestowed 
ontliem,  and  are  exalted  to  posts  of  honour,  surely  those  who  liave 
exerted  their  energies  in  preserving  the  lives  of  hundreds,  and  in  pre- 
venting the  anguish  of  thousands,  ought  not  to  be  suffered  to  sink 
into  oblivion,  or  to  pass  unrewarded.  It  is,  I  presume,  oiie  reason 
among  others,  why  virtue  is  so  little  practised,  that  it  is  seldom  to- 
wai-ded  acccwding  to  its  merit, 
34 


403  THE  PHILOSOPHY   OP    RELIGION. 

better  employed,  spend  their  time  in  drinking,  or  gaming" 
at  cards  or  dice,  in  cock-fighting,  or  horse-racing.  Many 
of  the  interkides  are  filled  up  with  a  boxing  match ;  and 
these  matches  frequently  become  memorable  by  fents  of 
gouging.  This  delicate  and  entertaining  diversion  is  thus 
performed  :  When  two  boxers  are  worried  with  fighting 
and  bruising  each  odier,  they  come,  as  it  is  called,  to  close 
quarters  ;  and  each  endeavours  to  twist  his  fore-fingers  in 
the  ear-locks  of  his  antagonist.  When  these  are  fast 
clenched,  the  thumbs  are  extended  each  way  to  the  nose, 
and  the  eyes  gently  twined  out  of  ihcir  sockets.  The  victor, 
for  his  expertness,  receives  shouts  of  applause  from  the  sport- 
ing throng,  while  his  poor  eyeless  antagonist  is  laughed  at 
for  his  misfortune.  In  a  country  that  pretends  to  any  de- 
gree of  civilization,  one  would  hardly  expect  to  find  a 
prevaihng  custom  of  putting  out  the  eyes  of  each  other. 
Yet  this  more  than  barbarous  custom  is  prevalent  in  both 
the  Carolinas,  and  in  Georgia  among  the  lower  class  of 
people." — "  Lord,  what  is  man  !"  In  a  savage  and  a  civil- 
ized state — in  infancy  and  in  manhood — in  his  games  and 
diversions — in  the  instructions  by  which  he  is  trained — 
in  the  remarks  he  makes  upon  his  neighbours — in  the 
sports  and  amusements  in  which  he  indulges — in  his  lit- 
erary pursuits  and  lucubrations — in  his  system  of  rewards 
and  punishments — in  his  intercourses  and  contests  \yith 
communities  and  nations — in  his  commercial  transactions 
— in  his  judicial  administrations — in  the  height  of  proe- 
perity — and  in  scenes  of  danger,  and  of  the  deepest  dis- 
tress,— a  principle  of  malignity  is  for  ever  operating  to  de- 
stroy his  comforts,  and  to  undsrmine  the  foundation  of  his 
happiness  ! 

'I'he  above  sketches  may  suflice,  in  the  mean  time,  as 
specimens  of  some  of  the  prominent  dispositions  of  that 
portion  of  the  human  race  who  have  assumed  to  them- 
selves the  character  of  civilized  nations.  It  will  readily  be 
admitted,  by  most  of  tny  readers,  that  the  dispositions  dis- 
played in  the  instances  I  have  selected,  are  all  directly  re- 
pugnant to  the  principle  of  bei^evolence  recognised  in  the 
divine  kw,  and  tend  to  undermine  the  happiness  of  intel- 
ligent beings. — I  shall  now  conclude  with  a  very  brief 
sketch  of  the  condu,ct  of  Christians,  and  of  Christian  soci- 


MORAL    STATE     OF    THE    CHRISTIAN    WORLD.  403 

cties  towards  each  other,  and  of  the  leading  trails  of  cha- 
racter which  appear  in  the  rehgious  world. 

SECTION  IV. 

Moral  state  of  the  professing  Christian  irorld. 

I  have  alread}^  endeavoured  to   show,  that  Christianiiy 
is  a  religion  of  love  ;  that  its   facts,  its   doctrines,  and  iis 
moral  precepts,  are   all  calculated  to  promote  "  peace  on 
earth,"   and  to   form   mankind  into  one   affectionate   and 
harmonious  society.     This   glorious  and  hoppy  effect,  in 
the  lEirst  instance,  it  actually  produced.     We  are  told,  in 
the  history  of  the  Apostles,  that  the   multitudes  who   were 
converted  to  the  Christian  faith,  by  the  powerful  sermon 
delivered  by  Peter  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  had  their  ma- 
lignant propensities  subdued,   and  their  minds    animated 
with  an   ardent  affection  for   each  other  :   and,  as  a  practi- 
cal proof  of  the  operation  of  this  noble  principle,  "  they 
had   all  things   common,  and   sold  their  possessions  and 
goods,  and  parted  them  to   all,  as  every  man  had  need." 
During  the  early   ages  of  Christianity,  a  goodly  portion  of 
the  same  spirit  was  manifested  by  the  greater  pait  of  those 
who  had  enrolled  themselves   as  the  disciples   of  Clirist. 
Even  in  the  midst  of  the  reproaches,   and  the  severe  per- 
secutions to  which  they  were   subjected  during   the  two 
first  centuries  of  the  Christian  era,  a  meek  and  forgiving 
disposition,    and    a    spirit    of    benevolence    towards    one 
another,  and  towards  all  men,  distinguished  them  from  the 
heathen   around,   and    constrained   even  their  enemies  to 
exclaim,  "  Behold  how  these  Christians   love  one  anoth- 
er !" — But  no  sooner  was  the   Christian   Church   amalga- 
mated with  the   kingdoms   of  this  world,  in   the  reign  of 
Constantine,  than  its  native  purity  began  to  be  tainted, 
and  Pagan  maxims,   and  worldly   ambition,  began  to   be 
blended  with  the  pure  precepts   and  the  sublime  doctrines 
of  the   Gospel.     Many  of  its  professed  adherents,  over- 
looking the  grand  practical  bearings  of  the  Christian  sys- 
tem,  began  to  indulge  in  vain  speculations  on  its  myste- 
rious   doctrines;    to    substitute  a    number    of  unmeaning 
rites  and  ceremonies  in  the  room  of  love  to  God  and  to 


404  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

man  ;  and  even  to  persiecute  and  destroy  all  those  who 
refused  to  submit  to  their  opinions  and  decisions.  Pride, 
and  a  desire  of  domination,  usurped  the  place  of  meekness 
and  humility  ;  and  the  foolish  mummeries  of  monastic  su- 
perstition, and  the  austerities  of  the  Ascetics,  were  sub- 
stituted in  the  room  of  the  active  duties  of  justice  and  be- 
neficence. Saints  were  deified  ;  the  power  of  the  clergy 
was  augmented  ;  celibacy  was  extolled  ;  religious  proces- 
sions w^ere  appointed ;  pilgrimages  w^re  undertaken  to 
the  tombs  of  the  martyrs  ;  monasteries  and  nunneries, 
without  number,  were  erected  ;  prayers  were  offered  up 
to  departed  saints ;  the  Virgin  Mary  was  recognised  as  a 
species  of  inferior  deity  ;  the  sign  of  the  cross  was  vene- 
rated as  capable  of  securing  victory  in  all  kinds  of  trials 
and  calamities,  and  as  the  surest  defence  against  the  in- 
fluence of  malignant  spirits ;  the  bishops  aspired  after 
wealth,  magnificence,  and  splendour ;  errors  in  religion 
were  punished  with  civil  penalties  and  bodily  tortures  ; 
and  the  most  violent  disputes  and  contentions  convulsed 
every  section  of  the  Christian  world ;  while  the  mild  and 
beneficent  virtues  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  were  either  dis- 
carded, or  thrown  into  the  shade. 

Of  these,  and  similar  dispositions  and  practices,  details 
might  be  exhibited  which  would  fill  many  volumes,  and 
which  would  carry  conviction  to  every  impartial  mind, 
that  the  true  glory  of  Christianity  was  sadly  tarnished  and 
obscured,  and  its  heavenly  spirit  almost  extinguished 
amidst  the  mass  of  superstitious  observances,  of  vain 
speculations,  and  of  angry  feuds  and  contentions.  Millot, 
when  adverting  to  the  state  of  the  Church  in  the  days  of 
Constantino,  and  the  succeeding  emperors,  justly  re- 
marks :  "  The  disciples  of  Christ  were  inspired  with  mu- 
tual feuds,  still  more  implacable  and  destructive  than  the 
factions  which  were  formed  for  or  against  difierent  em- 
perors. The  spirit  of  contention  condemned  by  St.  Paul 
became  almost  universal.  New  sects  sprung  up  inces- 
santly, and  combated  each  other.  Each  boasted  its  apos- 
tles, gave  its  sophisms  for  divine  oracles,  pretended  to  be 
the  depository  of  the  faith,  and  used  every  effort  to  draw 
the  multitude  to  its  standard.  The  church  was  filled  with 
discord :  bishops  anathematized  bishops ;  violence  was 
called  in  to  the  aid  of   argument,   and  the  folly  of  prince* 


KARLY   AGES    OF    CHRISTIANITV.  405 

fanned  the  liame  which  spread  with  so  destructive  rage. 
They  played  the  theologists,   attempted  to  command  opin- 
ions, and  punished  those  whom   they  couki  not  convince. 
The  laws   against  idolaters  were  soon  extended  to  here- 
tics ;  but  what  one   emperor  proscribed  as  heretical,   was 
to  another  sound  doctrine.     What  was  the  consequence  ? 
The   clergy,   whose  influence  was  already  great  at  court, 
and  still  greater   among  the   people,   began   to  withdraw 
from  the  sovereign  authority  that  respect  which  religion 
inspires.     The  popular  ferments  being  heightened  by  the 
animosity  of  the  clergy,  prince,   country,  law,   and  duty, 
were  no  longer  regarded.     Men  were   Arians,   Donatists, 
Prisciliianists,  Nestorians,  Eutychians,   Monotholites,  Slc. 
but  no  longer   citizens  ;  or  rather,   every  man  became  the 
mortal  enemy  of  those   citizens   whose   opinions  he  con- 
demned.— This    unheard-of    madness,    for    irreconcilable 
quarrels  on   subjects  that  ought  to  have   been   referred  to 
the  judgment  of  the  Church,  ?u!ver  abated  amidst  the  most 
dreadful  disasters.     Every  sect  formed  a  different  party  in 
the  state,   and  their  mutual  animosities  conspired  to  sap 
its  foundations."* 

At  the  period  to   which   these  observations  refer,  it  ap- 
pears that    two    erroneous    maxims    generally    prevailed, 
which  tended  to  undermine  the  moral  system  of   revela- 
tion, and  which  were  productive  of  almost  all  the  tumults, 
massacres,  and   disasters,   which  distinguished  that  era  of 
the    Christian    church.     These    were,    1.    That    religion 
consists  chiefly  in  the  belief  of   certain    abstract  and  in- 
comprehensible dogmas,  and  in  the  performance  of  a  mul- 
titude of  external  rites   and  ceremonies  :  and,  2.  That  all 
heresies  or  differences  of  opinion  on  religious  points,  ought 
to  be  extirpated  by  the  strong  arm  of   the  civil    power. 
Than  such  maxims,  nothing  can  be  more  repugnant  to  rea- 
son, more  subversive  of  genuine  morality,  or  more  incon- 
sistent with  the  spirit  and  genius  of  the  Christian  religion. 
And  yet,  to  this  very  hour,  they  are  recognised  and   acted 
upon  by  more  than  three-fourths  of  the  Christian  world, 
notwithstanding  the  melancholy   examples   which  history 
has   furnished  of  their  futility,  and  their  pernicious  ten- 


Millot's  Modern  History,  vol. 
34* 


406  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

dency. — The  narrow  limits  to  which  I  am  confined  will 
permit  me  to  state  only  two  or  three  instances  in  reference 
to  the  period  to  which  I  allude. 

Theodosius,  one  of  the  emperors,   who  commenced  his 
reign  in  the  year  379,  and  who  received  baptism  during  a 
dangerous  distemper,  in  the   second  year  of  it,  professed 
great  zeal  in   favour  of  religion.     By  a  law  addressed  to 
the  people  of  Constantinople,  he   enacted,  "  That  all  sub- 
jects  shall  profess  the  catholic  faith  with  regard  to  the 
article  of   the  Trinity  ;    and    that  they  who  do  not  con- 
form   shall    ignominiously  be  called    heretics,    until  they 
shall    feel    the    vengeance    of    God    and    our    own,    ac- 
cording as  it  shall   please   Divine  providence  to  inspire 
us."       He    declared     apostates    and    Manicheans    inca- 
pable of   making  a  will,  or   receiving    any   legacy  ;  and 
having    pronounced    them    worthy  of   death,    the    people 
thought  they  had  a  right  to  kill  them  as  proscribed  per- 
sons.    He    enacted    a    law,    condemning   to    the    flames 
cousins  german  who  married  without  a  special  license  from 
the  emperor.     He  established  inquisitors  for  the  discovery 
of  heretics.     He  drove  the  Manicheans*  from  Rome   as 
infamous  persons,  and,  on  their   death,  ordered  their  goods 
to  be  distributed   among  the  people.     Yet  with  all  this  re- 
ligious zeal,  he,  on  one  occasion,  gave  orders  for  a  univer- 
sal massacre  at  Thessalonica,  because    some    persons  of 
distinction   had    been   killed  in  a  sedition  at  the  time  of 
the  races.     The  inhabitants  were  caused  to  assemble  in 
the  circus,  under  pretence  of  an  exhibition  of  games,  and 
slaughtered  without  distinction  of  age.     Seven  thousand, 
according    to   some,    and    fifteen    thousand,    according  to 
others,  tlie  greatest    part   unquestionably    innocent,    were 
tlius  sacrificed  to  atrocious  revenge. f     Leo,   another  em- 
peror, "  commanded  every  person  to  be  baptised,   under 
pain  of  banishment,   and  made  it  capital  to  relapse  into 
idolatry,  after  the  performance  of  the   ceremony  ;"  just  as 
if  Christians  could  be  made  by  a  forced  baptism,  or  by  a 
law  of  the  state.     Such  edicts  clearly  showed,  that,  what- 


*  The  distinguishing  characteristic  of  the  Manicheans  was,  their 
recognisintr  the  doctrine  of  two  independent  and  eternal  principles^ 
the  one  the  author  of  all  good,  the  other  the  author  of  all  evil. 

j  MiUot's  Ancient  History,  vol.  ii. 


MURDER    OF    IIYPATIA. 


407 


ever  zeal  princes  or  the  clergy  might  manifest  in  favour  of 
the  Christian  religion,  they  were  grossly  ignorant  of  its 
true  spirit,  and  of  the  meann  by  which  its  benevolent  ob- 
jects were  to  be  accomplished. 

As   a  specimen  of  the  manner  in  which  such   edicts 
were  sometimes  carried  into  effect,  the  following  instance 
may   be    stated.      Hypatia,   daughter   of   the   celebrated 
Geometrician,  Theon  of  Alexandria,  exceeded  her  father 
in  learning,  and  gave  public  lectures  in  Philosophy,  with 
the  greatest  applause  ;  nor  was  she  less  admirable  for  the 
purity   of   her   virtue,   joined    to    an   uncommon  beauty, 
and  every  accomplishment  that   could  adorn  human  na- 
ture.    Bnt  this  excellent  woman,  because  she  was  a  Pagan, 
trusted   by   the   magistrates,    and  suspected  to   be    active 
against  St.  Cyril,  the  bishop,  became  an  object  of  detesta- 
tion to  the  Christian  multitude.     A  set  of  monks  and  des- 
peradoes, headed  by  a  priest,  seized  her  in  the  open  street, 
hurried  her  into  a  church,  where  they  stripped  her  naked, 
tore  her  body  with  whips,  cut  her  in  pieces,  and  public- 
ly burned  her  mangled  limbs  in  the  market-place.*     St. 
Cyril,  who  was  suspected  of  having  fomented  this  trage- 
dy, had  previously  attacked  the  synagogues,  and    driven 
out  the  Jews  :  their  goods  were  pillaged,  and  several  per- 
sons perished  in  the  tumult. — Such  conduct  plainly  de- 
monstrates   the  tendency   of   the  human  mind,  in   every 
situation,  to  abuse  power  and  authority,  for  the  purposes 
of    persecution  and  revenge ;  and   shows   us   what   false 
ideas  the  Christians  of  that  period  must    have    entertained 
of  the  God  of  Mercy ;  and  how  soon  they   had    forgotten 
the  sufferings  whicli  their   fathers  had    so  lately    endured, 
under  the  reign  of  the  Heathen  Emperors. 

About  this  period,  too,  vain  speculations  about  abstruse 
and  incomprehensible  subjects,  occupied  the  attention  of 
theologians,  and  engendered  religious  quarrels  and  dis- 
putes, which  burst  asunder  the  bonds  of  affection  and 
concord.  A  play  of  words,  and  vain  subtleties,  were  sub- 
stituted in  place  of  clear  conceptions  and  substantial 
knowledge,  which,  instead  of  directing  the  faculties  of  the 
human  mind  to  their  proper  objects,  tended  only   to    dark- 


♦  Millot's  Ancient  Hist.  Vol.  11. 


408  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

en  the  liglit  of  reason,    and  to    introduce   the   long-   night 
of  ignorance  which  soon   succeeded.     It  was  a  prevailing 
madness  among-  the  Greek    theologians,  who  were  intrac- 
table in  their  opinions,  and  it  is   too  ranch    the   case    with 
certain  modern  divines, — to  dispute  about   incomprehensi- 
ble mysteries,  to   render  them   more    obscure  by   their  at- 
tempts to  explain  them,  and  perpetually  to  revive  the  most 
dangerous  contentions.     The  Arians    rejected  the  Divinity 
of  the  Word,  in  order  to  maintain  the  unity  of  God  ; — the 
Nestorians  denied  that  Mary  is    the   mother  of  God,  and 
gave  two  persons  to  Jesus  Christ,   to    support  the    opinion 
of  his  having  two  natures  ; — the  Eutychians,   to  maintain 
the  unity  of  the  person,   confounded  the  two   natures  into 
one.     This   heresy   became   divided   into  ten    or   twelve 
branches  ;  some  of  the  sections  maintaining  that  Jesus  Christ 
was  merely  a  phantom,  or  appearance  of  flesh,  but  no  real 
ilesh.     The  Monotholites  maintained,  that  there  was  only 
one  will  in  Christ,  as  they  could   not    conceive  two  free 
wills  to  exist  in  the    same    person.     Another    sect    main- 
tained, that  the  body  of  Christ  was  incornipiihle^  and   that 
from  the  moment  of  his  conception,  he  was   incapable    of 
change,  and   of  suffering.      This    chimera  Justinian   at- 
tempted to  establish    by  an   edict.     He  banished  the  Pa- 
triarch Eutychius,  and  several  other  prelates,   who   oppos- 
ed his  sentiments  ;  and   was  proceeding  to  tyrannize  over 
the  consciences  of  men    M'ith    more    violence    than    ever, 
when  death   interposed,   and  transported  him    to    another 
scene  of    existence. — In    such     vain     and     preposterous 
disputes  as  these,  were  the   minds  of  professed  Christians 
occupied,    notwithstanding  the   perils    with     which   they 
were  then  environed.     Councils  were  held,  to   determine 
the  orthodox  side  of  a  question  ;    anathemas  were   thun- 
dered against  those  who  refused  to  acquiesce  in  their  de- 
cisions ;  princes  interposed  their   authority,   and   the  civil 
sword  was  unsheathed,   to  compel   men  to  believe   what 
they  could  not  understand  ; — while  the  substantial  truths 
of  religion  were  overlooked,  and  its  morality  disregarded. 
— "  Religion,"  says  Millot,  "  inspires  us   with  a  contempt 
of  earthly  vanities,  a  detestation  of  vice,  and  indulgence 
for  the   frailties  of  our  neighbour ;  invincible  patience  in 
misfortunes,   and  compassion  for  the  unhappy  ;  it  inspires 
us  with  charity,  and  heroic  courage ;  and  tends  to  sanctify 


ECCLESIASTICAL    FEUDS.  40& 

every  action  in  common  and  social  life.  How  sublime 
and  comforting  the  idea  it  gives  of  the  Divinity  !  What 
confidence  in  his  justice  and  infinite  mercy !  What  en- 
couragement for  the  exercise  of  every  virtue  !  Where- 
fore, then,  such  errors  and  excesses  on  religious  preten- 
ces ?  It  is  because  heresy,  shooting  up  under  a  thousand 
different  forms,  incessantly  startles  the  faith  by  subtleness 
and  sophistry,  by  which  almost  the  whole  energy  of  men's 
minds  is  absorbed  in  the  contest.  Disputes  engender  ha- 
tred ;  from  hatred  springs  every  excess  ;  and  virtue,  ex- 
hausted with  words  and  cabals,  loses  her  whole  power." 
— How  happy  would  it  be,  and  how  glorious  for  the 
cause  of  genuine  Christianity,  were  the  present  genera- 
tion of  Christians  to  profit  by  the  sad  experience  of  the 
past ! 

As  we  advance    in  the  history  of  the  Christian  church, 
through  the  middle  ages,  the  prospect  appears  still  more 
dark  and  gloomy.     The  human  mind,  at  that  period,  ap- 
peared to  have  lost  its  usual   energy,   and  its  powers  of 
discrimination ;    the    light   of  reason   seemed    almost   ex- 
tinguished ;  sophisms,  and   absurdities  of  all  kinds,  were 
greedily  swallowed  ;  and  superstition   displayed    itself  in 
a  thousand    diversified   forms.     Morality  was  in   a  man- 
ner  smothered   under    a  heap   of    ceremonies  and    arbi- 
trary observances,   which  acquired   the  name  of  devotion. 
Rehcs,    pilgrimages,  offerings,    and  pious   legacies,  were 
thought   capable    of  opening    the  gate    of  heaven   to  the 
most  wicked  of  men.     The   virgin    Mary,   and  the  souls 
of  departed    saints,    were    invoked  ;  splendid    churches 
were  erected   to    their    honour  ;    their    assistance  was  en- 
treated, with  many  fervent  prayers  ;  while  the    mediation 
of  Jesus   Christ  was   thrown  into  the   shade,  and  almost 
disregarded.        An  irresistible  efficacy  was   attributed  to 
the  bones  of  martyrs,  and  to  the  figure  of  the  cross,  in  de- 
feating the   attempts  of  Satan,  in  removing  all  sorts  of  ca- 
lamities, and  in  healing  the  diseases  both  of  the  body  and 
of  the   mind.      Works   of  piety   and   benevolence    were 
viewed  as  consisting  chiefly  in  building   and   embelPshing 
churches  and  chapels ;  in   endowing  monasteries  ;  in  hunt- 
ing after  the    relics  of  martyrs  ;  in   procuring   the    inter- 
cession of  saints,  by  rich   oblations  ;  in  worshipping    ima- 
ges ;   in  pilgrimages  to  holy  places  i  in  voluntary   acts  of 


410  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

mortification  ;  in  solitary  masses  ;  and  in  a  variety  of 
similar  services,  which  coukl  easily  be  reconciled  with  the 
commission  of  the  most  abominable  crimes.  So  that 
the  worship  of  "  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ,"  was  exchanged  for  the  worship  of  bones, 
hair,  fragments  of  fingers  and  toes,  tattered  rags, 
images  of  saints,  and  bits  of  rotten  wood,  supposed  to  be 
the  relics  of  the  cross. — The  dubbing  of  saints  became  a 
fruitful  source  of  frauds  and  abuses  throughout  the  Chris- 
tian world  ;  lying  wonders  were  invented,  and  fabulous 
histories  composed,  to  celebrate  exploits  that  were  never 
performed,  and  to  glorify  persons  that  never  had  a  being ; 
and  absolution  from  the  greastest  crimes  could  easily  be 
procured,  either  by  penances,  or  by  money. 

The  absurd  principle,  that  Religion  consists  in  acts  of 
austerity^  produced  the  most  extravagant  behaviour  in  cer- 
tain devotees,  and  reputed  saints.  They  lived  among  the 
wild  beasts  ;  they  ran  naked  through  the  lonely  deserts, 
with  a  furious  aspect,  and  with  all  the  agitations  of  mad- 
ness and  frenzy  ;  they  prolonged  their  wretched  lives,  by 
grass  and  wild  herbs  ;  avoided  the  sight  and  conversation 
of  men,  and  remained  almost  motionless  for  several  years, 
exposed  to  the  rigour  and  inclemency  of  the  seasons  ; — 
and  all  this  was  considered  as  an  acceptable  method  of 
worshipping  the  Deity,  and  of  attaining  a  share  in  his  fa- 
vour.— But  of  all  the  instances  of  superstitious  frenzy, 
which  disgraced  those  times,  none  was  held  in  higher  ve- 
neration, than  that  of  a  certain  order  of  men,  who  obtained 
the  name  o^  Pillar  saints.  These  were  persons  of  a  most 
singular  and  extravagant  turn  of  mind,  who  stood  motion- 
less on  the  tops  of  pillars,  expressly,  raised  for  this  exercise 
of  their  patience,  and  remained  there  for  several  years, 
amidst  tlie  admiration  and  applause  of  a  stupid  and  won- 
dering populace.  This  strange  superstitious  practice  be- 
gan in  the  fifth  century,  and  continued  in  the  East  for 
more  than  six  hundred  years. — To  the  same  principle  are 
to  be  attributed  the  revolting  practices  of  the  Flagellants^ 
a  sect  of  fanatics  who  chastised  themselves  with  whips  in 
public  places.  Numbers  of  persons  of  this  description,  of 
all  ages  and  sexes,  made  processions,  walking  two  by  two, 
with  their  shoulders  bare,  which  they  whipped  till  the 
blood  ran  down  in  streamlets  ;  in  order  to  obtain  mercy 


POWER    OP    THE    ROMISH    CLERGY.  411 

from  God,  and  appease  his  indignation  against  the  wicked- 
ness of  the  age.  They  held,  among  other  things,  that 
flagellation  was  of  equal  virtue  with  baptism,  and  the  other 
sacraments  ;  that  the  forgiveness  of  all  sins  was  to  be  ob- 
tained by  it,  without  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ ;  that  the 
old  law  of  Christ  was  soon  to  be  abolished,  and  that  a 
new  law,  enjoining  the  baptism  of  blood,  to  be  administer- 
ed by  whipping,  was  to  be  substituted  in  its  place. 

The  enormous  power  conferred  on  the  ministers  of  religion 
was  another  source  of  immorality  and  of  the  greatest  ex- 
cesses.    The  pope  and  the   clergy  reigned  over  mankind 
without  control,  and  made  themselves,  masters  of  almost 
all  the  wealth  of  every  country  in  Europe.     They  were 
immersed  in    crimes   of  the  deepest   dye  ;  and  the  laity, 
imagining    themselves    able  to    purchase   the   pardon  of 
their  sins  for  money,  followed  the  example  of  their  pastors 
without  remorse.     The  most  violent  contentions,  animos- 
ities, and   hatred,  reigned  among  the   different  orders  of 
monks,  and   between  the  clergy  of  all  ranks  and  degrees. 
"  Instead  of  consecrating  ecclesiastical  censures   solely  to 
spiritual  purposes,  they  converted  them  into  a  weapon  for 
defending  their   privileges,   and    supporting  their  preten- 
sions.    The  priesthood,  which  was  principally  designed 
to  bless,  was  most  frequently  employed  in   cursing.     Ex- 
communication was   made  the  instrument   of  damning  in- 
stead of  saving  souls  ;  and  was  inflicted  according  to  the  dic- 
tates of  policy  or  of  revenge."  The  great  and  the  noble,  and 
even  kings   and  emperors  were  excommunicated,  when  it 
was  designed  to  rob,  or  to  enslave  them  ;  and  this  invisi- 
ble  engine,  which  they  wielded  with  a  powerful    and  a 
sovereign  hand,  was  used  to  foment  dissensions   between 
the  nearest  relatives,  and  to  kindle  the  most  bloody  wars. 
The  generality  of  priests  and  monks  kept  wives  and  con- 
cubines,  without  shame  or   scruple,  and  even   the  papal 
throne  was  the  seat  of  debauchery  and  vice.     The  posses- 
sions of  the  church  were  either  sold  to  the  highest   bidder, 
or  turned  into  a  patrimony  for  the  bastards  of  the  incum- 
bents.    Marriages,  wills,  contracts,  the  interests  of  fami- 
lies and  of  courts,  the  state  of  the  living  and   of  the  dead, 
were   all  eonverted  into  instruments  for  promoting   their 
credit,  and  increasing  their  riches.     It  was,    therefore,  a 
necessary  result  from  such  a  state  of  things,  that  vices  of 


412  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF  RELIGION. 

every  description  abounded,  that  morals  were  ruined,  and 
that  the  benevolence  required  in  the  divine  law  was  tram- 
pled under  foot. 

The   theological   speculations  in  which  they   indulged, 
corresponded  to  the  degrading  practices  to  which  I  have 
adverted,   and  tended  to  withdraw  the  mind  from  the  sub- 
stantial realities  both  of  science  and  of  religion.     Sophisms 
and  falsehoods  were  held  forth  as  demonstrations.     They 
attempted  to  argue  after  they  had   lost  the  rules   of  com- 
mon sense.     The  cultivation  of  letters  was  neglected  ;  el- 
oquence consisted  in    futile    declamations  ;  and  philosophy 
was  lost  in  the  abyss    of  scholastic    and  sophistical  theolo- 
gy.    "  They  attempted  to  penetrate  into  mysteries,  and  to 
decide  questions  which  the  limited  faculties   of  the  human 
mind  are  unable  to   comprehend    or  to  resolve  ;"  and  such 
vain  speculations  they  endeavoured  to  incorporate  into  the 
system  of  religion,  and  to  render  theology  a  subject  of  met- 
aphysical refinement,  and  of  endless  controversy.     A  false 
logic  was  introduced,  which  subtilized  upon  words,  but  gave 
no  idea  of  things  ;  which  employed  itself  in  nice  and  refin- 
ed distinctions  concerning  objects  and  operations  which  lie 
beyond    the  reach  of  human   understanding,   which    con- 
founded every  thing  by  attempting  to  analyze  every  thing, 
and  which  opened  an  arena  for  men  of  fiery  zeal  to  kindle 
the  flame  of  coniroversy,  and  to  give  birth  to  numerous 
heresies.     The  following  are  a  few  instances,  out  of  many, 
which  might  be  produced,  of  the   questions   and   contro- 
versies   which  occupied  the  attention  of  bishops  and  se- 
raphical  doctors,  and  gave  rise  to  furious  contentions  : — 
Whether  the  conception   of  the   Blessed  Virgin   was  im- 
maculate ?     Whether  Mary  should   be    denominated    the 
Mother  of  God,  or  the  Mother  of  Christ  ?     Whether   the 
bread  and  wine  used  in  the  eucharist  were  digested  ?     In 
what  manner  the  will  of  Christ   operated,   and  whether  he 
had  one  will  or  two  ?     Whether  the  Holy  Ghost  proceeded 
from   the    Father  and   Son,   or  only   from  the     Father? 
Whether  leavened  or  unleavened  bread  ought  to  be  used 
in   the  eucharist?     Whether  souls   in  their  intermediate 
state  see  God,  or  only  the  human  nature  of  Christ  ?     [\ 
was  disputed  between  the   Dominicans  and  Franciscans, 
Whether  Christ  had  any  property  ?     The  Pope  pronounced 
the  negative  proposition  to  be  a  pestilential  and  blasphe- 


FEAST    OF    THE    ASS — SALE    OF    INDULGENCES.        413 

nious  doctrine,  subversive  of  catholic  faith.  Many  coun- 
cils were  held  at  Constantinople,  to  determine  what  sort 
of  light  it  was  that  the  disciples  saw  on  Mount  Tabor :  it 
was  solemnly  pronounced  to  be  the  eternal  lig-ht  with 
which  God  is  encircled  ;  and  which  may  be  termed  his 
energy  or  operation,  but  is  distinct  from  his  nature  and 
essence.  The  disputes  respecting  the  real  presence  of 
Christ  in  the  eucharist,  led  to  this  absurd  conclusion, 
which  came  to  be  universally  admitted — "  That  the  sub- 
stance of  the  bread  and  wine  used  in  that  ordinance  is 
changed  into  the  real  body  and  blood  of  Christ ;"  and 
consequently,  when  a  man  eats  what  has  the  appearance 
of  a  water,  he  really  and  truly  eats  the  body  and  blood,  the 
soul  arid  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ ;  and  when  he  afterwards 
drinks  what  has  the  appearance  of  wine,  he  drinks  the 
very  same  body  and  blood,  soul  and  divinity  which,  per- 
haps, not  a  minute  before,  he  had  wholly  and  entirely  eaten  ! 
— At  the  period  to  which  I  now  allude,  the  authenticity  of 
a  suspected  relic  was  proved  by  bulls — councils  assembled 
and  decided  upon  the  authority  of  forged  acts  with  regard 
to  the  antiquity  of  a  saint,  or  the  place  where  his  body 
was  deposited ;  and  a  bold  imposter  needed  only  to 
open  his  mouth,  to  persuade  the  multitude  to  believe  what- 
ever he  pleased  To  feed  upon  animals  strangled  or  un- 
clean, to  eat  flesh  on  Tuesday,  eggs  and  cheese  on  Friday, 
to  fast  on  Saturday,  or  to  use  unleavened  bread  in  the 
service  of  the  mass — were,  by  some,  considered  as  indis- 
pensable duties,  and  by  others,  as  vile  abominations.  In 
short,  the  history  of  this  period  is  a  reproach  to  the  hu- 
man understanding  ;  an  insult  offered  to  the  majesty  of 
reason  and  of  science,  and  a  libel  on  the  benevolent  spirit 
which  breathes  through  the  whole  of  the  Christian  sys- 
tem.* 


*  As  a  striking  instance  of  the  folly  and  imbocility  of  the  human 
mind  at  this  period,  it  may  be  noticed,  that  in  several  churches  in 
France,  they  celebrated  a  festival  in  commeinorati:)n  of  the  Virarin 
Mary's  flight  into  Egypt,  which  was  called  the  Feast  o/thectss.  A  youni^ 
girl  richly  dressed,  with  a  child  in  her  armfi,  was  set  upon  an  ass  richly- 
caparisoned.  The  ass  was  led  to  the  altar  in  solemn  procession.  HigU 
mass  was  said  with  great  pomp.  The  ass  was  taught  to  kneel  at  proper 
places  ;  a  hymn,  no  less  childish  than  impious,  was  sung  in  his  praise  ; 
an<lwhen  the  ceremony  was  ended,  the  priest,  ins  lead  of  the  usual  word« 
35 


414  THE     PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

NothiHg  can  be  conceived  more  directly  repugnant  to 
the  benevolence  which  the  religion  of  Jesus  inculcates, 
than  the  temper  and  conduct  of  those  who  arrogated  to 
themselves  the  character  of  being  God's  vicegerents  on 
earth,  and  who  assumed  the  supreme  direction  and  control 


with  which  he  dismissed  the  people,  brayed,  three  times  like  an  ass^  and 
the  people,  instead  of  the  usual  response,  "We  bless  theLord,"  brayed 
in  the  same  manner.  This  ridiculous  ceremony  was  not  a  mere  farci- 
cal entertainment ;  but  an  act  of  devotion,  performed  by  the  ministers 
of  religion,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  church. — Robertson's  "History 
of  Charles  V."  vol.  I. — In  accordance  with  such  foolish  ceremonies, 
were  the  ideas  which  prevailed  of  the  qualifications  requisite  to  con- 
stitute a  good  Christian.  "  He  is  a  good  Christian",  says  St.  Eloy, 
a  canonized  saint  of  the  Romish  church,  "  who  comes  frequently  to 
church;  who  presents  the  oblation  which  is  offered  to  God  upon  the 
altar  ;  who  doth  not  taste  of  the  fruits  of  his  own  industry  until  he 
has  consecrated  a  part  of  them  to  Grod  ;  who,  when  the  holy  festi- 
vals approach,  lives  chastely  even  with  his  own  wife  during  several 
days,  that  with  a  safe  conscience  he  may  draw  near  to  the  altar  of 
God  ;  and  who,  in  the  last  place,  can  repeat  the  Creed  and  the  Lord's 
prayer.  Redeem,  then,  your  souls  from  destruction,  while  you 
have  the  means  in  your  power  ;  offer  presents  and  tithes  to  church- 
men ;  come  more  frequently  to  church  ;  humbly  implore  the  pat- 
ronage of  the  saints ;  for,  if  you  observe  these  things,  you  may  come 
with  security  in  the  day  of  retribution  to  the  tribunal  of  the  eternal 
Judge,  and  say,  '  Give  to  us,  O  Lord,  for  we  have  given  unto  thee.'" 
— Here  we  have  an  ample  description  of  a  good  Christian,  in  which 
there  is  not  the  least  mention  of  the  love  of  God,  of  resignation  to  his 
will,  obedience  to  his  laws,  or  of  justice,  benevolence,  or  charity  to- 
wards men. — Mosheim's  Church  History. 

The  following  are  the  terms  in  which  Tetzel  and  Kis  associates  de- 
scribed the  benefit  oUndidgences,  about  the  beginning  of  the  16th  cen- 
tury, a  little  before  the  era  of  the  reformation.  "  If  any  man,"  said 
they,  "  purchase  letters  of  indulgence,  his  soul  may  rest  secure  with 
respect  to  its  salvation.  The  souls  confined  in  purgatory,  for  whose 
redemption  indulgences  are  purchased,  as  soon  us  the  money  tinkles 
in  the  chest,  instantly  escape  from  that  place  of  torment,  and  ascend 
into  heaven.  The  efficacy  of  indulgences  were  so  great,  that  the 
most  heinous  sins,  even  if  one  should  violate  (which  was  impossible) 
the  Mother  of  God,  would  bo  rcmittod  and  expiated  by  them,  and  the 
person  be  frea  both  from  punishment  and  guilt.  That  this  was  the 
unspeakable  gift  of  God,  in  order  to  reconcile  men  to  himself.  That 
the  crots  erected  by  the  preachers  of  indulgences,  was  as  efficacious 
as  the  cross  of  Christ  itself.  Lo  !  the  heavens  arc  open,  if  you  enter 
Rot  now,  when  will  you  enter  ?  For  twelve  pence  you  may  r«deem 
the  soul  of  your  father  out  of  purgatory  ;  and  are  you  so  ungrateful 
riiat  you  will  not  rescue  your  jtarent  from  torment  !  if  you  had  but 
one  coat,  you  ought  to  strip  yourself  instantly,  and  sell  it,  in  order  to 
purchase  such  benefits,  &c." — Robertson''s  Charles  V.  vol.  2. 


MALIGNANT    DISPOSITIONS    OF    THE    POPES.  415 

of  the  Christian  church.     In  persons  wlio  laid  claim   to 
functions  so  sacred  and   divine,  it  might  have  been  expect- 
ed, that  the   appearance   at  least,  of  piety,   hunuhty,   and 
benevolence,   would  have   been  exhibited  before  the  eyes 
of  the  Christian  world.     But  the  history  of  the  popes  and 
their  satellites,   displays   almost  every   thinir  which  is  di- 
rectly opposed  to  such  heavenly  virtues.     Their  avarice, 
extortion,  and  licentiousness,  became  intolerable  and  ex- 
cessive almost  to  a  proverb.     To  extend  their  power  over 
the  kingdoms  of  this  world,  to  increase   their  wealth  and 
revenues,  to  live  in  opulence  and  splendour,  to  humble  kings, 
to  alienate  the  affections  of  their  subjects,  and  to  riot  in  the 
lap  of  luxury  and  debauchery,  seemed  to  be  the  great  ob- 
jects of  their  ambition.     Instead  of  acting  as  the  heralds  of 
mercy,  and  the  ministers  of  peace,  they  thundered  anathe- 
mas against  all  who  called  in  question  their  authority,  kin- 
dled the  flames  of  discord  and  of  civil  wars,  armed  subjects 
against  their  sovereigns,  led  forth  hostile  armies  to  the  bat- 
tle, and  filled  Europe  with  confusion,  devastation,  and  car- 
nage.    Instead  of  applying  the  mild  precepts  of  Christian- 
ity, and  interposing  the   authority  they   had   acquired  for 
reconciling  enemies,  and  subduing  the  jealousies  of  rival 
monarchs,  they  delighted  to  widen  the  breach  of  friendship, 
and  to  fan  the  flame  of  animosity   and  discord.     Dr.  Rob- 
ertson, when  adverting  to  the  personal  jealousies  of  Fran- 
cis I.  and   Charles  V.   remarks,   "  If  it   had   been  in  the 
powder  of  the  Pope  to  engage   them  in   hostilities,   without 
rendering  Lombardy  the  theatre  of  war,   nothing  would 
have  been  more  agreeable  to  him  than  to  see  them  waste 
each  other's  strength   in  endless  quarrels."*     The  Son  of 
man  came  into  the   world,  not  to  destroy  men's   lives,  but 
to  save  them ;  but,  in  such  instances,  we  behold  his   pre- 
tended vicars,  preparing  and  arranging  the  elements   of 
discord,    laying  a  train  for   destruction   of  thousands  and 
tens  of  thousands,  and  taking  a  diabolical  delight  in   con- 
templating  the    feuds,   the   massacres,   and  the    miseries 
which  their  infernal  pohcy  had  created.     The  decrees  of 
the  papal  throne,  instead  of  breathing  the  mildness   and 
benevolence  of  Jesus,  became  thundering  curses,  and  san- 


*  Pv,obertson's  Charles  V.  vol.  2. 


41G  THE     PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELGIIOX. 

guinary  laws,  and  a  set  of  frantic  enthusiasts,  or  a  lawless 
banditti,  were  frequently  appointed  to  carry  them  into  ef- 
fect. 

Not  contented  with  the  insurrections  and  the  desola- 
tions they  had  produced  among  the  European  nations,  they 
planned  an  expedition  for  the  purpose  of  massacring  the 
inhabitants  of  Asia,  and  ravaging  their  country.  Urban 
n.  about  A.  D.  1095,  travelled  from  province  to  province, 
levying  troops,  even  without  the  consent  of  their  princes  ; 
preaching  up  the  doctrine  of  "  destruction  to  the  infidels ;" 
and  commanding  the  people,  in  the  name  of  God,  to  join 
in  the  holy  tear.  St.  Bernard  ran  from  town  to  town,  ha- 
ranguing the  multitude,  performing  pretended  miracles, 
and  inducing  all  ranks,  from  the  emperor  to  the  peasant, 
to  enrol  themselves  under  the  banners  of  the  cross.  Peter 
the  Hermit,  a  man  of  a  hideous  figure  and  aspect,  covered 
with  rags,  walking  barefooted,  and  speaking  as  a  prophet, 
inspired  the  people  every  where  with  an  enthusiasm  simi- 
lar to  his  own.  Thousands  of  wicked  and  abandoned 
debauchees  were  thus  collected  ;  bishops,  priests,  monks, 
women  and  children,  were  all  enrolled  in  the  holy  army. 
A  plenary  absolution  of  all  their  sins  was  promised  ;  and 
if  they  died  in  the  contest,  they  were  assured  of  a  crown 
of  martyrdom  in  the  world  to  come.  With  hearts  burning 
with  fury  and  revenge,  this  army  of  banditti,  without  dis- 
cipline or  provisions,  marched  in  wild  confusion  through 
the  eastern  parts  of  Europe,  and,  at  every  step  of  their 
progress,  committed  the  most  dreadful  outrages.  So  in- 
veterate was  their  zeal  against  the  Jews,  wherever  they 
were  found,  that  many  of  those  unfortunate  beings,  both 
men  and  women,  murdered  their  own  cliildren,  in  the 
midst  of  the  despair  to  which  they  were  driven  by  these 
infuriated  madmen  ;  and  when  they  arrived  at  Jerusalem, 
and  had  taken  that  city  by  assault,  they  suffered  none  of 
the  infidels  to  escape  the  slaughter.  Such  was  the  May 
in  which  the  successors  of  the  Apostle  Peter  displayed 
their  general  benevolence,  and  their  love  to  the  souls  and 
bodies  of  men. 

The  establishment  of  the  Inquisition,  is  another  mode 
in  which  the  tyranny  and  cruelty  of  the  Komish  church 
has  been  displayed.  This  court  was  founded  in  the  12th 
centurv,  by  Father  Dominic,  and  his  followers,  who  were 


THE    INQUISITION.  417 

sent  by  Pope  Innocent  III.  with  orders  to  excite  the 
Catholic  princes  and  people  to  extirpate  heretics.  It  is 
scarcely  possible  to  conceive  any  institution  more  directly 
opposed  to  the  dictates  of  justice  and  humanity,  to  the 
genius  of  Christianity,  and  to  the  meekness  and  gentle- 
ness of  Christ,  than  this  infernal  tribunal.  The  proceed- 
ings against  the  unhappy  victims  of  this  court,  are  con- 
ducted with  the  greatest  secresy.  The  person  granted 
them  as  counsel  is  not  permitted  to  converse  with  them, 
except  in  the  presence  of  the  Inquisitors  ;  and,  when  they 
communicate  the  evidence  to  the  accused  persons,  they 
carefully  conceal  from  them  the  names  of  the  authors.  The 
prisoners  are  kept  for  a  long  time,  till  they  themselves, 
through  the  application  of  the  torture,  turn  their  own  ac- 
cusers ;  lor  they  are  neither  told  their  crime,  nor  con- 
fronted with  witnesses.  When  there  is  no  shadow  of 
proof  against  the  pretended  criminal,  he  is  discharged, 
after  suffering  the  most  cruel  tortures,  a  tedious  and 
dreadful  imprisonment,  and  the  loss  of  the  greatest  part 
of  his  effects.  When  he  is  convicted  and  condemned,  he 
is  led  in  procession,  with  other  unfortunate  beings,  on  the 
festival  of  the  Auto  da  Fe,  to  the  place  of  execution.  He 
is  clothed  with  a  garment,  painted  with  flames,  and  with 
his  own  figure,  surrounded  with  dogs,  serpents,  and  devils, 
all  open-mouthed,  as  if  ready  to  devour  him.  Such  of 
the  prisoners  as  declare  that  they  die  in  the  communion 
of  the  church  of  Rome,  are  first  strangled,  and  then 
burned  to  ashes.  Those  who  die  in  any  other  faith,  are 
burned  alive.  The  priests  tell  them,  that  they  leave  them 
to  the  devil,  who  is  standing  at  their  elbow,  to  receive 
their  souls,  and  carry  them  with  him  into  the  flames  of 
hell.  Flaming  furzes,  fastened  to  long  poles,  are  then 
thnist  against  their  faces,  till  their  faces  are  burned  to  a 
coal,  which  is  accompanied  with  the  loudest  acclamations 
of  joy,  among  the  thousands  of  spectators.  At  last  iire 
is  set  to  the  furze  at  the  bottom  of  the  stake,  over  which 
the  criminals  are  chained  so  high,  that  the  top  of  the 
flame  seldom  reaches  higher  than  the  seat  they  sit  on  ; 
so  that  they  seem  to  be  roasted  rather  than  burned.  There 
cannot  be  a  more  lamentable  spectacle  ;  the  sufferers 
continually  cry  out,  while  they  are  able,  "  Pity  for  the 
love  of  God  ;"  yet  it  is  beheld  by  all  sexes  and  ages,  with 
35* 


418  THE    PHILOSOPHY     OF    RELIGION. 

transports  of  joy  and  satisfaction  ;  and  even  the  monarch, 
surrounded  by  his  courtiers,  has  sometimes  graced  the 
scene  with  his  presence,  imagining  that  he  was  perform- 
ing an  act  highly  acceptable  to  the  Deity  !  !* 

And  what  are  the  heinous  crimes  for  which  such  dread- 
ful punishments  are  prepared  ?  Perhaps  nothing  more 
than  reading  a  book  which  has  been  denounced  as  hereti- 
cal by  the  holy  office,  such  as  "  Raynal's  History  of 
the  Indies," — assuming  the  title  of  a  freemason — irri- 
tating a  priest  or  mendicant  friar — uttering  the  language 
of  freethinkers — declaiming  against  the  celibacy  of  the 
clergy — insinuating  hints  or  suspicions  respecting  their 
amours  and  debaucheries — or  throwing  out  a  joke  to  the 
dishonour  of  the  Virgin  Mary,t — or,  at  most,  holding  the 
sentiments  of  a  Mahometan,  of  a  Jew,  or  the  followers 
of  Calvin  or  Luther.  In  the  year  1725,  the  Inquisition 
discovered  a  family  of  Moors  at  Grenada,  peaceably  em- 
ployed in  manufacturing  silks,  and  possessing  superior 
skill  in  the  exercise  of  this  profession.  The  ancient  laws, 
supposed  to  have  fallen  into  disuse,  were  enforced  in  all 
their  rigour,  and  the  wretched  family  luas  burnt  alivc,\  On 
the  entry  of  the  French  into  Toledo,  during  the  late  Pen- 
insular war,  General  Lasalle  visited  the  palace  of  the  In- 
quisition. The  great  number  of  instruments  of  torture,  es- 
pecially the  instruments  to  stretch  the  limbs,  and  the  drop- 
baths,  which  cause  a  lingering  death,  excited  horror,  even 
in  the  minds  of  soldiers  hardened  in  the  field  of  battle. 
One  of  these  instruments,  singular  in  its  kind  for  relined 
torture,  and  disgraceful  to  humanity  and  religion,  deserves 
a  particular  description.  In  a  subterraiieous  vault  adjoining 


*Seo  Ency.  Brit.  Art.  Act  of  faith,  and  Inqnisitioi},  and  Bour^roing'B 
"Modern  State  of  Spain,"  Vol.  I,  Tlic  "  Instructiona  for  the  ©fHcc 
of  the  holy  Inquisition  jiivcnat  Tohda  in  1561,"  may  be  seen  in  tli© 
Appendix  to  "  Peyron's  Essays  on  Spain,"  which  forms  the  fourth 
volume  of  Bourcfoinjr's  work. 

t  The  Chevalier  de  St.  Gervais,  Mas  imprisoned  in  the  Inquisi- 
tion on  i\\v  foUowinjT  occasion. — A  mendicant  havinij  come  to  his 
chamber,  with  a  purse,  besraina  him  to  contril)ute  somethinir  for  the 
lijihts  or  tapers  to  be  liffhttMl  in  honour  of  the  Virrrin,  he  replied, 
''  My  jTood  father,  tlie  Virpin  has  no  need  of  lights,  she  nc(xl  only 
go  to  bed  at  an  earlier  hour." 

X  Bourgoing's  State  of  Spain,  Vol.  I.  p.  349. 


HORRORS    OF    THE    INQUISITION.  419 

to  the  aiullence  chamber,  stood,  in  a  recess  in  the  wall,  a 
wooden  statue  made  by  the  hands  of  monks,  represent- 
ing the  Virgin  Mary.  A  gilded  glory  beamed  round  her 
head,  and  she  held  a  standard  in  her  right  hand.  Not- 
withstanding the  ample  folds  of  the  silk  garment  which 
fell  from  her  shoulders  on  both  sides,  it  appeared  that  she 
wore  a  breastplate ;  and,  upon  a  closer  examination,  it 
was  found,  that  the  whole  front  of  the  body  was  covered 
with  extremely  sharp  nails,  and  small  daggers,  or  blades 
of  knives,  with  the  points  projecting  outwards.  The  arms 
and  hands  had  joints,  and  their  motions  were  directed  by 
machiner}-,  placed  behind  the  partition.  One  of  the  ser- 
vants of  the  Inquisition  was  ordered  to  make  the  machine 
manoeuvre.  As  the  statue  extended  its  arms,  and  grad- 
ually drew  them  back,  as  if  she  would  affectionately  em- 
brace, and  press  some  one  to  her  heart,  the  well-filled 
knapsack  of  a  Polish  grenadier  supplied  for  this  time  the 
place  of  the  poor  victim.  The  statue  pressed  it  closer 
and  closer ;  and  when  the  director  of  the  machinery 
made  it  open  its  arms  and  return  to  its  first  position,  the 
knapsack  was  pierced  two  or  three  inches  deep,  and  re- 
mained hanging  upon  the  nails  and  daggers  of  the  mur- 
derous instrument. 

This  infamous  tribunal  is  said  to  have  caused,  between 
the  years  1481  and  1759,  34,658persons  to  be  burned  alive  ; 
and  between  1481,  and  1808,  to  have  sentenced  288,214 
to  the  galleys,  or  to  perpetual  imprisonment.*  In  the 
Auto  of  Toledo,  in  February,  1501,  67  women  were  de- 
livered over  to  the  flames  for  Jewish  practices.  The 
same  punishment  was  inflicted  on  900  females  for  being 
witches,  in  the  Ducliy  of  Lorraine,  by  one  Inquisitor  alone. 
Under  this  accusation,  upwards  of  thirt)/  thousand  women 
have  perished  by  the  hands  of  the  Inquisition,  f  Tor- 
quemada,  that  infernal  inquisitor  of  Spain,  brought  into 
the  Inquisition,  in  the  space  of  14  years,  no  fewer  than 
80,000  persons ;  of  whom  6000  were  condemned  to  the 
flames,  and  burned  alive  with  the  greatest  pomp  and  ex- 
ultation ;  and  of  that  vast  number,  there  was  perhaps  not 
a  single  person  who  was  not  more  pure  in  religion,  as  well 


*  Histoire  Abrigoe  de  la  Inquisition. 

t "  The  Inquisition  Unniaske  d."     By  Antonio  Puigblanch. 


420  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   RELIGION. 

as  morals,  than  their  outrageous  persecutor.* — Has  the 
Deity,  then,  whom  the  Inquisition  professes  to  serve,  such 
a  voracious  appetite  for  the  blood  of  human  victims  ?  Has 
that  benevolent  Being,  who  maketh  his  sun  to  cheer  the 
habitations  of  the  wicked  as  well  as  of  the  righteous,  and 
whose  "  tender  mercies  are  over  all  his  works" — commis- 
sioned such  blood-thirsty  monsters  to  act  as  his  ministers  of 
vengeance,  and  to  torment  and  destroy  the  rational  crea- 
tures he  has  formed  ?  The  very  thought  is  absurd  and 
blasphemous  in  the  highest  degree.  All  his  beneficent  op- 
erations in  creation  around  us,  and  all  the  gracious  pro- 
mises and  declarations  of  his  word,  stand  directly  opposed 
to  such  hellish  practices,  and  condemn  the  perpetrators  as 
audacious  rebels  against  the  divine  government,  and  as 
nuisances  in  the  universe  of  God. 

The  numerous  Massacres  which,  in  different  ages,  have 
taken  place,  on  account  of  religious  opinions,  is  another 
revolting  and  melancholy  trait  in  the  character  of  the  pro« 
fessed  votaries  of  the  Christian  cause.  Of  these,  the 
massacre  of  the  Protestants  in  France  on  the  feast  of  St. 
Bartholomew,  on  the  24th  August,  1572,  was,  perhaps, 
one  of  the  most  diabolical  acts  of  perfidy,  injustice,  and 
cruelty,  which  have  stained  the  character  ol"  our  race. 
Every  thing  was  atrocious  and  horrible  in  this  unexampled 
conspiracy  and  assassination  :  feelings  of  the  most  sacred 
nature  were  annihilated ;  religious  zeal  was  changed  into 
an  impious  frenzy  ;  and  filial  piety  degenerated  into  san- 
guinary fury.  Under  the  direction  of  the  infamous  Duke 
of  Guise,  the  soldiers  and  the  populace  en  ?nasse,  at  the  sig- 
nal of  the  tolling  of  a  bell,  flew  to  arms,  seizing  every 
weapon  that  presented  itself ;  and  then  rushing  in  crowds 
to  every  quarter  of  the  city  of  Paris, — no  sound  was  heard 
but  the  horrible  cry.  Kill  the  Huguenots  !  Every  one  sus- 
pected of  being  a  Calvinist,  without  any  distinction  of  rank, 
age,  or  sex,  was  indiscriminately  massacred.  The  air  re- 
sounded with  the  horrid  cries  and  blasphemous  impreca- 
tions, of  the  murderers,  the  piercing  shrieks  of  the  wounded, 
and  the  groans  of  the  dying.  Headless  trunks  were  every 
instant  precipitated  from  the  windows  into  the  court-yards, 

♦Kaims'  Sketches,  Vol.  IV. 


BARTHOLOMEW    MASSACRE.  42l 

or  the  streets  ;  tlie  gate-ways  were  choked  up  with  the  bo- 
(hes  of  the  dead  and  dying,  and  the  streets  presented  a  spec- 
tacle of  mangled  limbs,  and  of  human  bodies,  dragged  by 
their  butchers  in  order  to  be  thrown  into  the  Seine.  Palaces, 
Hotels,  and  Public  buildings,  were  reeking  with  blood  ;  the 
image  of  death  and  desolation  reigned  on  every  side,  and, 
under  the  most  hideous  appearances  ;  and  in  all  quarters, 
carts  were  seen  loaded  with  dead  bodies,  destined  to  be  cast 
into  the  river,  whose  waters  were  for  several  days  sullied  by 
tides  of  human  gore.  The  infuriated  assassins,  urged  oil 
by  the  cry,  that  "  It  was  the  king's  will  that  the  very  last 
of  this  race  of  vipers  should  be  crushed  and  killed,"  be- 
came furious  in  the  slaughter  ;  in  proof  of  which,  one 
Cruce,  a  jeweller,  displaying  his  naked  and  bloody  arm, 
vaunted  aloud,  that  he  had  cut  the  throats  of  more  than 
400  Huguenots  in  one  day.  Daring  this  horrid  period, 
every  species  of  the  most  refined  cruelty  became  exhaust- 
ed ;  the  weakness  of  infancy  proved  no  impediment  to  the 
impulse  of  ferocity ;  children  of  ten  years,  exercising  the 
first  homicidal  deed,  were  seen  committing  the  most  bar- 
barous acts,  and  cutting  the  throats  of  infants  in  their 
swaddling  clothes  !  the  number  of  victims  thus  slaughter- 
ed in  the  city  of  Paris,  amounted  to  above  six  thousand  ; 
and,  in  the  provinces,  at  the  same  time,-  there  perished 
about  sixty  thousand  souls.  And,  what  is  still  more 
shocking,  the  news  of  this  massacre  were  welcomed  at 
Rome  with  the  most  lively  transports  of  joy.  The  Car- 
dinal of  Lorraine  gave  a  large  reward  to  the  courier ;  and 
interrogated  him  upon  the  subject,  in  a  manner  that  de- 
monstrated he  had  been  previously  aware  of  the  intended 
catastrophe.  The  cannons  were  fired,  bonfires  were  kin- 
dled, and  a  solemn  mass  was  celebrated,  at  which  Pope 
Gregory  XIII.  assisted,  with  all  the  splendour  which  that 
court  is  accustomed  to  display  on  events  of  the  most  glori- 
ous and  important  consequence  !* 

The  horrid  practice  of  Dragooning,  which  was  used  by 
Papists,    for    converting   supposed   heretics,   was  another 


*  See  a  late  publication  entitled  "Memoirs  of  Henry  the  Great, 
and  of  the  Covirt  of  France  durinff  his  reign,"  2  vols.  9vo.  in  which 
is  contained  the  fullest  description  of  this  massacre  which  has  ap- 
peared in  our  language. 


422  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

melancholy  example   of  religious  cruelty  and  frenzy.     In 
the  reign  of  Louis  XIV.  of  France,  his  troopers,  soldiers 
and  dragoons,  entered  into  the  houses  of  the  Protestants, 
where   they   marred    and    defaced   their   household   stuff, 
broke  their  looking  glasses,  let  their  wine  run   about  their 
cellars,  threw  about  and   trampled  under  foot  their    pro- 
visions,   turned   their    dining-rooms    into    stables  for  their 
horses,  and  treated  the   owners  with  the  highest  indigna- 
tion and  cruelty.     They  bound  to  posts  mothers  that  gave 
suck,  and  let  their  sucking  infants  lie  languishing  in  their 
sight  for  several    days  and  nights,  crying,   mourning,  and 
gasping  for   life.     Some   they  bound  before   a  great  fire, 
and,  after  they  were  half  roasted,  let  them  go.     Some  they 
hung  up  by  the  hair,  and  some  by  the  feet,  in  chimneys, 
and  smoked  them  with  wisps  of  wet  hay  till  they  were 
suffocated.     Women  and    maids  were   hung   up  by  their 
feet,  or  by  their  arm-pits,  and  exposed  stark  naked  to  pub- 
lic view.     Some  they   cut  and  slashed  with   knives,  and, 
after  stripping  them   naked,   stuck  their  bodies  with  pins 
and  needles  from  head  to  foot ;  and,  with  red  hot  pincers, 
took  hold  of  them  by  the  nose  and  other  parts  of  the  body, 
and  dragged  them  about  the  rooms  till  they  made   them 
promise  to  be   Catholics^  or,  till  the  cries   of  these  misera- 
ble wretches,   calling  upon  God  for  help,  induced  them  to 
let  them  go.     If  any,  to  escape  these   barbarhies,  endea- 
voured to  save  themselves   by  flight,   they  pursued   them 
into  the  fields  and  woods,  where   they    shot  at  them,   as  if 
they  had  been  wild  beasts  ;  and  prohibited  them  from   de- 
parting the  kingdom,  upon   pain  of  the  galleys,   the  lash, 
and  perpetual   imprisonment.     On  such  scenes  of  desola- 
tion and  horror,  the   Popish  clergy  feasted  their  eyes,  and 
made  them  only  a  matter  of  laughter  and  of  sport.* — What 
a  striking  contrast  to  the  benevolence  of  the  Deity,  whom 
they  impiously  pretended  to  serve  !     Could  a  savage  Amer- 
ican have  devised  more  barbarous  and  infernal  cruelties  ? 
In  the  civil  wars,  on  account  of  religion,  which  happen- 
ed in  France,  in  the  beginning  of  the    17th  century,  above 
a  million  of  men  lost  their  lives,  and  nine  cities,  400  villa- 


*  For  a  more  particular  account  of  such  scenes,  see  Ency.  Brit. 
Article  Dma-oonins. 


RELIGIOUS    PERSECUTIONg.  423 

ges,  2000  churches,  2000  monasteries,  and  10, 000  houses 
were  burned  or  destroyed,  during  their  continuance  ;  be- 
sides the   many  thousands  of  men,  women,   and  children, 
that  were   cruelly  butchered  :  and   150,000,000    of  livres 
were  spent  in  carrying  forward  these  slaughters  and  devas- 
tations.    It  is  said  of  Louis  XIII.  who    carried  on  these 
wars,  by  one  of  his  biographers   and  panegyrists,  Madame 
de  Motteville,  that,  "what  gave  him  the  greatest  pleasure, 
was  his   thought  of  driving  heretics  out  of  the  kingdom,  and 
thereby  purging  the  different  religions  which  corrupt  and 
infect  the  church  of  God."*     In   the  Netherlands   alone, 
from  the  time  that  the  edict  of  Charles  V.  was  promulgat- 
ed against  the  reformers,  more  than  100,000  persons  were 
hanged,  beheaded,  buried   alive,  or  burned  on  account  of 
religion.     The  prisons  were  crowded  with  supposed  here- 
tics ;  and  the  gibbet,  the  scaffold,  and  the  stake,  filled  ev- 
ery heart  with  horror.     The  Duke  of  Alva,  and  his  bloody 
tribunal,    spread   universal    consternation   through    these 
provinces  ;    and,  though    the  blood  of  eighteen   thousand 
persons,  who,  in  five  years,  had  been  given  up  to  the  ex- 
ecutioner for  heresy,  cried  for   vengeance  on  this  persecu- 
tor, and  his  adherents,  yet  they  gloried  in  their  cruelty. 
Philip  II.  in  whose  reign  these  atrocities  were  committed, 
hearing  one  day,  that  thirty   persons   at  least  had   a  little 
before  been  burned  at  an  auto  de  /e,  requested  that  a  like 
execution  might  be  performed  in  his  presence  ;  and  he  be- 
held with  joy  forty   victims  devoted    to  torments  and  to 
death.     One  of  them,  a  man  of  distinction,    requesting  a 
pardon,  "  No,"  replied  he,  coldly,  *'  were  it  my  own  son  I 
would  give  him  up  to  the  flames,  if  he  obstinately  persist- 
ed in  heresy."t 

Even  in  our  own  island,  the  flames  of  religious  persecu- 
tion have  sometimes  raged  with  unrelenting  fury.  Durifig 
two  or  three  years  of  the  short  reign  of  Queen  Mary,  it  was 
computed,  that  277  persons  were  committed  to  tlie  flames, 
besides  those  who  were  punished  by  fines,  confiscations,  and 
imprisonments.  Among  those  who  suffered  by  fires  were 
fife  bishops,  twenty-one  clergymen,  eight  lay  gentlemen,  and 


♦  'Matteville's  Memoirs  of  Anne  of  Austria,  Vol.  I.  p.  93. 
I  Millot's  Modem  History,  Vol.  II.  p.  190. 


424  THE    I'HILOSOrHY     OF     RELIGION. 

eighty-four  tradesmen  ;  one  hundred  husbandmen,  fifty-five 
women,  and  four  children.  And,  a  century  and  a  half  has 
scarcely  elapsed,  since  the  Presbyterians  in  Scotland  were 
hunted  across  moors  and  mosses,  like  partridges  of  the  M'il- 
derness,  slaughtered  by  bands  of  ruflian  dragoons,  and 
forced  to  seek  their  spiritual  food  in  dens,  and  mountains, 
and  forests,  at  the  peril  of  their  lives.  Hunter,  a  young 
man  about  nineteen  years  of  age,  was  one  of  the  unhappy 
victims  to  the  zeal  for  Papacy  of  Mary  Queen  of  Eng- 
land. Having  been  inadvertently  betrayed  by  a  priest, 
to  deny  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation,  he  absconded 
to  keep  out  of  harm's  way.  Boner,  that  arch-hangman 
of  Popery,  threatened  ruin  to  the  father  if  he  did  not  de- 
liver up  the  young  man.  Hunter,  hearing  of  his  father's 
danger,  made  his  appearance,  and  was  burned  alive,  in- 
stead of  being  rewarded  for  his  filial  piety.  A  woman  of 
(jJuernsey  was  brought  to  the  stake,  without  regard  to  her 
advanced  pregnancy,  and  she  was  delivered  in  the  midst 
of  the  flames.  One  of  the  guards  snatched  the  infant 
from  the  fire  ;  but  tho  magistrate,  who  attended  the  exe- 
cution, ordered  it  to  be  thrown  back,  being  resolved,  he 
said,  that  nothing  should  survive  which  sprung  Irom  a  pa- 
rent so  obstinately  heretical.* 

What  a  dreadful  picture  would  it  present  of  the  ma- 
lignity of  persons  who  have  professed  tho-  religion  of 
Christ,  were  we  to  collect  into  one  point  of  view,  all  the  per- 
secutions, tortures,  burnings,  massacres,  and  horrid  cruel- 
ties, which,  in  Europe,  and  Asia,  and  even  in  the  West 
Indies  and  America,  have  been  inflicted  on  conscientious 
men  for  their  firm  adherence  to  what  they  considered  a? 
the  truths  of  religion  !  When  we  consider,  on  the  one 
hand,  the  purity  of  morals,  and  the  purity  of  faith  which 
generally  distinguished  the  victims  of  persecution ;  and, 
on  the  other,  the  proud  ])ampered  priests,  abandoned  with- 
out shame  to  every  species  of  wickedness,  we  can  scarce- 
ly find  words  sufiicicnlly  strong  to  express  the  indignation 
and  horror  which  arise  in  the  mind,  when  it  views  this 
striking  contrast,  and  contemplates  such  scenes  of  impie- 
ty and  of  crime.     Could  a  religion,  which  breathes  peace 


*  Kairas'  Sketches,  Vol.  IV. 


MORAL  STATE  OF  HAVANA.  425 

and  good-will  from  heaven  towards  men,  be  more  basely 
misrepresented?  or  can  the  annals  of  our  race  present  a 
more  striking  display  of  the  perversity  and  depravity  of 
mankind  ?  To  represent  religion  as  consisting  in  the 
belief  of  certain  incomprehensible  dogmas,  and  to  attempt 
to  convert  men  to  Christianity,  and  to  inspire  them  with 
benevolence,  by  fire,  and  racks,  and  tortures,  is  as  absurd 
as  it  is  impious  and  profane  ;  and  represents  the  Divine 
Being  as  delighting  in  the  torments  and  the  death  of  sin- 
ners, rather  than  that  they  should  return  and  live. — But, 
without  dwelling  longer  on  such  reflections  and  details,  I 
shall  just  present  an  example  or  two  of  the  moral  state  of 
Roman  Catholic  countries,  as  a  specimen  of  the  effects  to 
which  their  system  of  religion  naturally  leads. 

"  By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them,"  says  our  Saviour. 
Wherever  religion  is  viewed  as  consisting  chiefly  in  the 
observance  of  a  number  of  absurd  and  unmeaning  cere- 
monies, it  is  natural  to  expect  that  the  pure  morality  of 
the  Bible  will  seldom  be  exemplified  in  human  conduct. 
This  is  strikingly  the  case  in  those  countries,  both  in  Eu- 
rope and  America,  where  the  Catholic  religion  reigns  tri- 
umphant.— Mr.  Howison,  whose  work,  entitled  "  Foreign 
Scenes,"  T  formerly  quoted,  when  speaking  of  the  priest- 
hood in  the  island  of  Cuba,  says,  "  The  number  of  priests 
in  Havana  exceeds  four  hundred.  With  a  few  excep- 
tions, they  neither  deserve  nor  enjoy  the  respect  of  the 
community.  However,  no  one  dares  openly  to  speak 
against  them.  In  Havana,  the  church  is  nearly  omnipo- 
tent and  every  man  feels  himself  under  its  immediate  ju- 
risdiction. Most  people,  therefore,  attend  mass  regularly, 
make  confession,  uncover,  when  passing  a  religious  estab- 
lishment of  any  kind,  and  stand  still  in  the  streets,  or  stop 
their  volantos,  the  moment  the  vesper-bell  begins  ringing. 
But  they  go  no  farther  ;  and  the  priests  do  not  seem  at  all 
anxious  that  the  practice  of  such  individuals  should  cor- 
respond to  their  profession.  The  priests  show,  by  their 
external  appearance,  that  they  do  not  practise  those  auster- 
ities which  are  generally  believed  to  be  the  necessary  con- 
comitants of  a  monastic  life.  The  sensual  and  unmean- 
ing countenances  that  encircle  the  altars  of  the  churches, 
and  the  levity  and  indifference  with  which  the  most  sa- 
cred parts  of  the  service  are  hurried  through,  would  shock 
36 


426  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

and  surprise  a  Protestant,  were  he  to  attend  mass  with  the 
expectation  of  finding  the  monks  those  solemn  and  awe- 
inspiring  persons,  which  people,  who  have  never  visited 
Catholic  comitries,  often  imagine  them  to  be." 

The  following  extract,  from  a  late  writer,  exhibits  a 
specimen  of  the  religion  and  the  moral  feelings  of  the 
Neapolitans.  "  When  Vesuvius  thunders  aloud,  or 
when  an  earthquake  threatens  them  with  destruction — 
when  fiery  streams  vomited  from  the  roaring  mouth  of  the 
volcano  roll  on,  carrying  desolation  over  the  plains  below 
— when  the  air  is  darkened  by  clouds  of  smoke,  and  show- 
ers of  ashes,  the  Neapolitans  will  fall  on  their  knees,  fast, 
do  penance,  and  follow  the  processions  barefooted  ;  but  as 
soon  as  the  roar  has  ceased,  the  flame  has  disappeared, 
and  the  atmosphere  has  recovered  its  wonted  serenity, 
th^y  return  to  their  usual  mode  of  life,  they  sink  again  to 
their  former  level,  and  the  tinkling  sounds  of  the  tumbu- 
rella  call  them  again  to  the  lascivious  dance  of  the  taran- 
tella."*— As  an  evidence  of  the  litigious  disposhions  of 
the  Neapolitans,  the  same  Author  informs  us,  "  That 
there  is  scarcely  a  landholder  but  has  two  or  three  causes 
pending  before  the  courts — that  a  lawyer,  and  a  suit,  are 
indispensable  appendages  of  property  ; — and  that  some  of 
the  principal  families  have  suits  which  have  been  carried 
on  for  a  century,  and  for  which  a  certain  sum  is  yearly  ap- 
propriated, although  the  business  never  advances  ;  and,  at 
last,  the  expenses  swallow  up  the  whole  capital." — "  The 
infinite  number  of  churches,"  says  a  late  writer,  "is  ona 
of  the  most  efficient  causes  of  the  decline  of  the  religioi 
of  Rome,  whose  maxims  and  practice  are  diametrically 
opposite  to  those  of  the  Gospel.  The  Gospel  is  the  friend 
of  the  people,  the  consoler  of  the  poor.  The  religion  of 
Rome,  on  the  contrary,  considers  all  nations  as  greaf 
flocks,  made  to  be  shorn  or  eaten  according  to  the  good 
pleasure  of  the  shepherds  :  for  her  the  golden  lever  is  th« 
lever  of  Archimedes.  The  favours  of  the  church  are  only 
showered  on  those  who  pay  ;  with  money  we  may  pur- 
chase the  right  to  commit  perjury  and  murder,  and  be  the 
greatest  villains  at  so  much  per"  crime  ;  accordmg   to  the 


♦  Vieusseux'3  "Italy  in  the  19th  century."  1824. 


MORALITY    OF    THE    TUSCANS.  427 

famous  Tariff  printed  at  Rome,  entitled,  "  Taxes  of  the 
Apostolic  Chancery."* 

M.  Jouy,  in  his  late  publication,  "  The  Hermit  in  It- 
aly," presents  the  following  picture  of  the  religion  and 
the  practical  morality  of  the  Tuscans.  The  greedhiess 
after  profit  is  such,  among  the  lower  classes  of  shop-keep- 
ers, that  they  adulterate  tlieir  merchandize  so  much,  as  to 
render  it  almost  intolerable.  Milk,  cheese,  and  butter, 
are  always  in  peril  under  the  hands  of  a  Florentine  shop- 
keeper. It  is  impossible  to  meet  with  good  butter,  ex- 
cept at  the  dairies.  The  grocers  are  not  exempt  from  the 
imputation  of  these  illicit  mixtures,  and  adulterations  of 
their  goods.  I  bought,  from  one  of  them,  some  brown 
sugar,  which  would  not  dissolve  in  the  mouth  ;  and,  on 
examination,  I  found,  that  nearly  one-third  part  consisted 
of  powdered  marble,  which  had  been  mixed  up  with  it. 
Yet  they  are  excessively  punctual  in  the  outward  ceremo- 
nies of  religion ;  and  whenever  they  remove  from  one 
place  to  another,  a  large  cross,  or  a  Madonna,  is  always 
stuck  up  at  full  length  in  the  cart." 

In  a  conversation  which  Buonaparte  had  with  his  friends 
at  St.  Helena,  on  the  subject  of  religion,  as  related  by  La 
Casas,  in  his  Journal,  he  said,  among  many  other  things, 
"  '  How  is  it  possible  that  conviction  can  find  its  way  to 
our  hearts,  when  we  hear  the  absurd  language,  and  wit- 
ness the  acts  of  iniquity  of  the  greatest  number  of  those 
whose  business  it  is  to  preach  to  us  ?  I  am  surrounded 
with  priests,  who  preach  incessantly  that  their  reign  is  not 
of  this  world,  and  yet  they  lay  hands  upon  every  thing 
they  can  get.  The  Pope  is  the  head  of  that  religion  from 
heaven,  and  he  thinks  only  of  this  world,'  &;c.  The  Em- 
peror ended  tiie  conversation,  by  desiring  my  son  to 
bring  him  the  New  Testament,  and  taking  it  from  the  be- 
ginning, he  read  as  far  as  the  conclusion  of  the  speech  of 
Jesus  on  the  mountain.  He  expressed  himself  struck  with 
the  highest  admiration  at  the  purity,  the  sublimity,  the 
beauty  of  the  morality  it  contained,  and  we  all  experi- 
enced the  same  feeling." 


*  "  Picture  of  Modern  Rome,"  by  M.  Santo  Domingo.  1824. 


428  THE    PHILOSOPHY     OF    RELIGION. 

Such  facts  may  suffice  as  specimens  of  the  benevolence 
and  morality  which  exist  in  Roman  Catholic  countries. 


MORAL  STATE  OF  THE  PROTESTANT  CHURCH,  AND  OF  THE 
DISPOSITIONS  GENERALLY  MANIFESTED  AMONG  CHRIS- 
TIANS   IN  OUR    OWN    COUNTRY. 

This  is  a  topic  which  would  admit  of  a  very  extended 
illustration ;  but  ray  present  limits  will  permit  me  to  do 
little  more  than  simply  to  allude  to  a  few  prominent  dispo- 
sitions displayed  by  the  different  sections  of  the  Protes- 
tant church. — We  have  already  seen  some  of  the  perni- 
cious effects  which  flowed  from  the  divisive  and  conten- 
tious spirit  of  Christians,  under  the  reign  of  the  Christian 
emperors,  and  during  the  middle  ages,  when  ignorance 
and  intolerance  so  extensively  prevailed.  The  present 
state  of  the  Christian  world  affords  abvmdant  proofs  that 
this  spirit  is  far  from  being  extinguished.  Christians  are  at 
present  distinguished  by  the  peculiarity  of  their  opinions 
respecting — the  Person  of  Christ,  and  the  attributes  of 
which  he  is  possessed — the  means  by  which  salvation  is  to 
be  obtained — the  measure  and  extent  of  divine  benevolence 
— the  Government  of  the  Christian  church — and  the  cere- 
monies connected  with  the  administration  of  the  ordinan- 
ces of  Religion.  Hence  the  religious  world  appears  ar- 
ranged into  such  sects  and  parties  as  the  following  : — 
Arians,  Socinians,  Unitarians,  Sabellians,  Necessarians, 
and  Trinitarians  ; — Baxterians,  Antinomians,  Arminians, 
Calvinists,  Lutherans,  Sub-lapsarians,  Supra-lapsarians, 
Sandemanians,  Swedenborgians,  and  Moravians  ; — Ro- 
man Catholics,  Protestants,  Hugonots,  Episcopalians, 
Presbyterians,  Independents,  Seceders,  Brownists,  Paedo- 
Baptists,  Anti-Pa?do-Baptists,  Keilamites,  Methodists, 
Jumpers,  Universalists,  Sabbatarians,  Millennarians,  Des- 
tructionists,  Dunkers,  Shakers,  Mysticks,  Hutchinsonians, 
Muggletonians,  the  followers  of  Joanna  Southcott,  &c.  &;c. 
— Most  of  these  sectaries  profess  their  belief  in  the  exist- 
ence of  One  Eternal,  Almighty,  Wise,  Benevolent,  and 
Righteous  Being,  the  Creator  and  Preserver  of  all  things  ; 
— 'in  the  Divine  authority  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  ; — that 
God  is  the  alone  object  of  religious  worship  ; — that  Jesus 


TEMPERS     DISPLAYED    BY   CONTROVERSIALISTS.       429 

of  Nazareth  is  the  true  Messiah,  and  the  Son  of  God  ; — 
"  that  lie  died  for  our  offences,  and  was  raised  again  for 
our  justification  ;" — that  there  is  a  future  state  of  rewards 
and  punishments  ; — that  there  will  be  a  resurrection  from 
the  dead  ; — that  it  is  our  duty  to  love  God  with  all  our 
hearts,  and  our  neighbour  as  ourselves ; — that  the  Divine 
law  is  obligatory  on  the  consciences  of  all  men  ; — that 
virtue  and  piety  will  be  rewarded,  and  vice  and  immorali- 
ty punished,  in  the  world  to  come. 

Yet,  though  agreeing  in  these  important  articles  of  the 
Christian  system,  how  many  boisterous  and  malignant  dis- 
putes have  taken  place  between  Calvinists  and  Armini- 
ans,  Episcopalians,  Presbyterians,  Independents,  and 
Methodists,  respecting  the  speculative  points  in  which 
they  disagree!  While  controversies  among  philosophers 
have  frequently  been  conducted  with  a  certain  degree  of 
candour  and  politeness,  the  temper  with  which  religious 
disputants  have  encountered  the  opinions  of  each  other, 
has  generally  been  opposed  to  the  spirit  of  Christian  love, 
to  the  meekness  and  gentleness  of  Christ,  and  even  to 
common  civility  and  decorum.  The  haughty  and  magis- 
terial tone  which  theological  controversialists  frequently 
assume, — the  indignant  sneers,  the  bitter  sarcasms,  the 
malignant  insinuations,  the  personal  reproaches,  they 
throw  out  against  their  opponents, — the  harsh  and  unfair 
conclusions  they  charge  upon  them, — the  general  asperity 
of  their  language, — and  the  bold  and  unhallowed  spirit 
with  which  they  apply  the  denunciations  of  Scripture  to 
those  whom  they  consider  as  erroneous,  are  not  only  in- 
consistent with  every  thing  that  is  amiabla  and  Christian, 
but  tend  to  rivet  more  powerfully  in  the  minds  of  their 
opponents,  those  very  opinions  which  it  was  their  object 
to  subvert.  To  gain  a  victory  over  his  adversary,  to  hold 
up  his  sentiments  to  ridicule,  to  wound  his  feelings,  and  to 
bespatter  the  religious  body  with  which  he  is  connected, 
is  more  frequently  the  object  of  the  disputant,  than  the 
promotion  of  truth,  and  the  manifestation  of  that  "  char- 
ity which  is  the  bond  of  perfection."  And  what  are  some 
of  the  important  doctrines  which  frequently  rouse  such 
furious  zeal  ?  Perhaps  nothing  more  than  a  metaphysical 
dogma  respecting  the  sonship  of  Christ,  absolute  or  con- 
ditional election,  the  mode  of  baptism,  the  manner  of  sit- 
36» 


430  THE    rttlLOSOPHY    Ot  REtlGldJf. 

ting  at  a  communion-table,  an  unmeaning  ceremony,  or  a 
circumstantial  punctilio  in  relation  to  the  government  of 
the  church  !  While  the  peculiar  notions  of  each  party,  on 
such  topics,  are  supported  with  all  the  fierceness  of  unhal- 
lowed zeal,  the  grand  moral  objects  which  Christianity 
was  intended  to  accomplish  are  overlooked,  and  the  law 
of  meekness,  humility,  and  love,  is  trampled  under  foot.* 
The  following  are  some  of  the  ideas  entertained  re- 
specting the  rights  of  religious  disputants,  as  assumed  by 
the  disputants  themselves  : — "  The  Controversialist,"  says 
Mr.  Vaughan,  in  his  "Defence  of  Calvinism,"  "  is  a 
wrestler  ;  and  is  at  full  liberty  to  do  all  he  can,  in  the  fair 
and  honest  exercise  of  his  art,  to  supplant  his   antagonist. 


+  That  discussions  on  religious  subjects  are  conducted  with  more 
earnestness  than  those  on  Philosophy  need  not  appear  strange.  Men 
are  apt  to  be  more  deeply  interested  in  whatever  is  intimately  con- 
nected with  their  present  happiness  and  their  futiue  welfare,  than  in 
any  other  topics.  A  laudable  interest  for  national  prosperity  often 
degenerates  into  hostihty  towards  those  who  are  equally  solicitous  to 
promote  this  desirable  object,  but  whose  views  either  of  the  means 
or  of  the  individuals  best  qualified  to  effect  it,  are  different  from  our 
own.  And  hence  whenever  a  project  for  the  security  of  rights,  or 
the  attainment  of  valuable  acquisitions,  is  about  to  be  put  into  exe- 
cution, it  often  calls  forth  from  those,  who  do  not  see  its  utility,  the 
bitterest  calumny. 

And  as  a  higher  degree  of  interest  is  felt  in  regard  to  the  princi- 
ples and  the  progress  of  Christianity,  than  in  political  affixirs — And 
as  the  former  are  subjects  of  immensely  greater  importance,  than 
any  human  institution,  it  cannot  be  deemed  strange,  that  religious 
discussions  have  been  conducted  with  warmth.  But  it  is  a  fact  deep- 
ly to  be  deplored,  that  those,  who  are  called  to  contend  earnestly  for 
the  faith,  suffer  their  zeal  to  degenerate  into  bitterness  and  to  go 
forth  in  calumny.  It  cannot,  however,  be  admitted,  that  all  who  have 
felt  it  their  duty  to  defend  their  views  of  Christianity,  are  chargeable 
with  this  fault.  It  is  well  known,  that  there  have  been  able  and 
earnest  discussions  of  the  Christian  doctrines  in  which  no  word  of 
bitterness  or  satire,  or  calumny  was  uttered.  And  it  is  worthy  of 
notice,  that  where  there  is  the  fear  of  God  and  the  single  desire  to 
promote  the  knowledge  of  the  truths  of  Revelation,  bitterness  and 
railings  are  rarely  found.  But  where  the  proper  object  of  discussion 
is  overlooked,  and  the  truths  of  Revelation  are  called  in  to  give  influ- 
ence or  political  importance  to  any  sect,  there  we  may  expect  to  find 
anfairness  and  calumniation.  Of  tliis  sort  are  many  of  the  contro- 
versies, which  were  carried  on  in  Europe  between  Catholics  and 
Protestants — and  especially  between  the  Established  Church  and 
the  Dissenters  of  Great  Britain.  And  it  ought  not  to  be  forgotten, 
that  in  these  controversies  laymen  have  frequently  taken  the  lead. 

Am,  Editor. 


TEMPERS    DISPLAYED    BY    CONTROVERSIALISTS.        431 

He  must  not  only  be  dexterous  to  put  in  his  blow  forci- 
bly ;  but  must  have  a  readiness  to  menace  with  scorn^  and 
to  tease  with  derision^  if  haply  he  may,  by  these  means, 
unnerve  or  unman  his  competitor.  I  know  not  that  he  is 
under  any  obligation  to  withhold  a  particle  of  his  skill 
and  strength,  whether  offensive,  or  defensive,  in  this  truly 
Spartan  conflict."  In  perfect  accordance  with  these  max- 
ims, he  thus  addresses  his  adversary  :  "  Why,  Sir,  I  will 
fight  you  upon  this  theme,  as  the  Greeks  did  for  the  re- 
covery of  their  dead  Patroclus ;  as  Michael  the  archan- 
gel, when,  contending  with  the  Devil,  he  disputed  about 
the  body  of  Moses  ;  as  the  famed  Athenian,  who  grasped 
his  ship  with  his  teeth,  when  he  had  no  longer  a  hand  to 
hold  it  by.  It  shall  be  with  a  loss  not  less  than  life,  that 
I  resign  this  splendid  attestation  (Rom.  viii.  28 — 30.)  to 
the  triumphal  origin,  procession,  and  coronation,  of  grace 
in  the  redeemed." 

Wo  to  Religion,  when  it  meets  with  such  boisterous 
"  wrestlers  !"  Its  true  glory  will  be  obscured,  its  beau- 
ty defaced,  its  interests  betrayed,  and  its  benevolent  spi- 
rit smothered,  amidst  the  smoke  and  dust  raised  by  the 
onsets  of  such  angry  combatants.  Do  such  controver- 
sialists really  imagine,  that  "  the  wrath  of  man  worketh 
the  righteousness  of  God  V  or,  that  the  Religion  of 
Heaven  stands  in  need-  of  such  warlike  arts,  and  un- 
hallowed passions,  for  its  vindication  and  defence  ?  If 
it  did,  it  would  be  a  religion  unworthy  of  our  reception 
and  support.  What  a  contrast  to  the  mild  and  gentle 
spirit  of  Christianity,  to  behold  one  zealot  dipping  his 
pen  in  wormwood  and  gall,  when  he  sits  down  to  defend 
the  Religion  of  Love  !  and  another,  standing  up  in  a  Sy- 
nod or  Assembly,  with  eyes  sparkling  with  indignation, 
a  mouth  foaming  with  rage,  and  a  torrent  of  anathemas 
and  abusive  epithets  bursting  from  his  lips,  against  the 
supposed  abettors  of  an  erroneous  opinion !  while-  at 
the  same  time,  they  imagine  that  they  are  iired  with 
holy  zeal  for  the  honour  of  the  Lord  God  of  Sabaoth. 
Such  disputants  seem  not  to  be  aware,  that  they  are 
grossly  misrepresenting  the  genius  of  the  Christian  sys- 
tem, and  bidding  defiance  to  its  most  distinguishing  prin- 
ciples and  laws. — There  are  heresies  in  conduct^  as  well 
as  heresies  in  doctrine ;  and  of  all  heresies,  the  former 


432  THE    PHILOSOPHY   OP    RELIGIOX. 

are  the  most  pestilential  and  pernicious.  And  why  do 
not  Controversialists  and  Religious  Societies  manifest  as 
much  zeal  against  heresies  in  temper  and  moriility,  which 
are  nursed  among  the  members  of  every  church,  as  they 
do  against  heresies  in  theology  ?  If  these  heresies  were 
more  particularly  investigated  and  subverted,  and  a  greater 
latitude  allowed  for  the  exercise  of  private  judgment,  the 
church  of  Christ  would  present  a  very  different  moral  as- 
pect from  what  she  has  hitherto  done. 

Again,  there  is  nothing  which  so  strikingly  marks  the 
character  of  the  Christian  world  in  general,  as  tlie  want 
of  candour,  the  spirit  of  jealousy,  and  the  evil  surmisings 
which  the  different  denominations  of  religionists  manifest 
towards  each  other.  There  is  a  prevailing  disposition  in 
one  religious  party  to  speak  evil  of  another ;  and  it  ap- 
pears, in  many  instances,  to  afford  a  high  degree  of  satis- 
faction, when  one  party  can  lay  hold  of  the  inadvertencies 
of  another  denomination,  or  even  of  the  imprudence  of  a 
single  individual,  in  order  to  asperse  the  character  of  the 
whole  body,  and  to  hold  it  up  to  general  derision  and  con- 
tempt. Episcopalians  look  down  with  feelings  of  scorn 
and  contempt  on  Methodists  and  Dissenters  ;  Indepen- 
dents sneer  at  Methodists,  and  Methodists  at  Indepen- 
dents ;  Presbyterians  are  disposed  to  revile  Independents, 
as  self-conceited,  sanctimonious  pretenders,  and  Indepen- 
dents, to  treat  with  unbecoming  levity,  and  even  with 
ridicule,  the  opinions  and  practices  of  Presbyterians ; 
while  the  different  classes  of  IBaptists,  distinguishable  only 
by  the  slightest  shades  of  opinion,  stand  aloof  from  each 
other,  in  a  warlike  attitude,  and  refuse  to  join  with  cordi- 
ality in  the  ordinances  of  Divine  worship.  I  have  seldom 
been  in  company  with  individuals  of  any  particular  party, 
in  which  I  have  not  found,  when  allusions  were  made  to 
another  denomination,  innuendoes  thrown  out  to  their  pre- 
judice ;  and  that  the  detail  of  any  error  or  imperfection 
which  attached  to  tiiem,  was  generally  relished,  and  even 
received  with  a  higli  degree  of  satisfaction.  Hence  it 
happens,  that  the  rules  of  common  civility  are  every  day 
violated  by  the  different  sectaries.  If  a  person  belonging 
to  a  particular  denomination  be  accidentally  introduced 
into  a  company  composed  of  persons  belonging  to  another 
religious  party,  he  is  frequently  treated  with  reserve,  and 


ILLIBERALIIY    OF    RELIGIOUS    BODIES.  433 

with  a  spirit  of  jealousy  and  suspicion,  even  although  he 
may  be  viewed,  on  the  whole,  as  a  Christian  at  bottom. 
I  have  known  individuals  of  respectable  character  and  at- 
tainments, who,  from  conscientious  motives,  had  forsaken 
the  denomination  to  which  they  formerly  belonged,  have, 
merely  on  this  account,  been  treated  with  scorn  and 
neglect,  been  banished  from  the  intimacies  of  social  and 
friendly  intercourse,  and  been  regarded  nearly  in  the  same 
light  as  a  Turk  or  an  infidel  ;  and  that,  too,  by  men  who 
pretended  to  liberality,  and  to  literary  accomplishments. 

There  is  certainly  neither  heresy  nor  orthodoxy  inher- 
ent in  stone  or  lime,  in  a  church-pew,  or  a  pulpit-cushion  : 
— yet  one  denomination  will  rudely  refuse  to  another,  the 
liberty  of  preaching  in  their  place  of  worship,  when 
it  can  conveniently  be  spared,  although  nothing  but  the 
fundamental  doctrines  acknowledged  by  both  are  in- 
tended to  be  proclaimed  ;  just  as  if  the  walls,  the  pews, 
and  the  pulpit  of  a  church,  would  receive  a  stain  of  pollu- 
tion from  the  presence  of  another  sectary.  Even  in  those 
cases  where  the  common  interests  of  Christianity  are  to 
be  supported, — as  in  vindicating  the  cause  of  Missionary, 
and  other  Philanthropic  institutions, — if  the  preacher  be- 
longs to  a  dissenting  body,  he  is  shut  out  from  the  spa- 
cious churches  of  the  Establishment,  where  he  might  ad- 
dress a  numerous  audience,  and  obtain  a  large  collection ; 
and  is  obliged  to  confine  his  exertions  within  the  narrow 
walls  of  any  public  hall,  or  meeting-house,  that  he  can 
procure.*  We  account  it  no  more  than  a  piece  of  com- 
mon civility,  to  accommodate  a  neighbour  with  a  barn,  a 
parlour,  or  even  a  dining-room,  for  the  entertainment  of 
his  friends  at  a  weddinor  or  a  funeral ;  but,  such  is  the  lit- 


+  In  cases,  where  there  is  an  agreement  in  fundamental  doctrines 
and  where  the  object  is  not  to  promote  any  sectarian  purpose,  but 
merely  to  plead  the  cause  of  the  distressed,  and  of  such  as  are  desti- 
tute of  the  Gospel,  there  can  be  no  excuse  for  refusing  the  use  of,a 
house  of  worship.  Of  course  where  there  is  no  such  agreement  and 
no  other  object  but  that  of  disseminating  principles  different  from 
those  ordinarily  tauffht  in  the  place,  of  sowing  discord  and  deprivmg 
others  of  their  rights,  it  is  unchristian  to  desire,  and  unmanly  to  ask 
fiuch  a  favour.  And  no  one  can  suspect,  that  it  is  persecution,  or  a 
want  of  christian  or  common  courtesy  to  withhold  it. 

Am.  Editor. 


434  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

tie  progress  that  professed  Christians  have  made  in  the 
exercise  of  a  noble  and  generous  liberality,  that,  when  we 
ask  the  use  of  a  church  or  meeting-house,  only  for  a 
couple  of  hours,  we  are  spurned  away  with  rudeness  and 
indignation. — The  Christian  world  is  unhappily  divided 
into  sects  and  parties ;  and  these  divisions  must  still  con- 
tinue for  a  time  ;  but  what  should  hinder  Christian  minis- 
ters of  different  parties  from,  occasionally  at  least,  olliciat- 
ing.  for  each  other,  in  order  to  show  to  the  world,  that 
they  entertain  no  malignant  jealousies,  and  that  they  are 
united  in  the  bonds  of  a  common  Religion  ?  Yet,  do  we 
ever  behold  an  Episcopalian  officiating  for  a  Methodist,  an 
Independent  preaching  in  an  Established  church,  or  a 
Baptist  leading  the  devotional  exercises  of  a  society  of 
Presbyterians  ?  If  such  a  case  occasionally  occur,  it  is  so 
far  from  being  a  matter  of  course,  that  it  is  considered  as  a 
phenomenon  in  the  religious  world.  Yet  all  these  differ- 
ent parties  recognise  the  leading  doctrines  and  duties 
exhibited  in  the  Christian  Revelation ;  and  the  points  in 
which  they  differ  are  "  trifles  light  as  air,"  when  compar- 
ed with  those  important  truths  in  which  they  all  agree.* 
Even  among  Christians  belonging  to  the  same  religious 
society  how  often  do  we  behold  a  display  of  "  bitter  cnvy- 
ings,"  contentious  dispositions,  and  malignant  passions  ! 


*  The  following  recent  facts  will  illustrate  some  of  the  positions 
jtontained  in  this  paragraph. — It  appears  that  the  minister  of  the  pa- 
rish of  Annan  has  been  in  the  habit  of  allowing  Dissenters  occasion- 
felly  to  preach  in  the  parish  church.  His  Assistant  brought  this  heavy 
offence  before  a  late  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  ;  and,  by  that  bodv, 
|t  was  declared,  that  no  Dissenter  should,  u\  future,  pollute  the  said 
i)ulpit.  They,  at  the  same  time,  voted  thanks  to  the  Assistant,  for 
fiis  manly  and  liberal  conduct  in  making  the  complaint. — .Public 
Pniits,  April,  1824. 

"Lately,  the  minister  of  a  parish  a  few  miles  to  the  westward  of 
Cupar,  hearing  that,  at  the  request  of  some  of  his  parishioners,  a 
sermon  was  to  be  preached  to  them,  by  a  Dissenting  clergyman  from 
Cupar,  and  knowing  that  the  school-room  was  the  only  place  where 
that  could  be  conveniently  done,  he  called  upon  the  teacher  and  com- 
manded him  not  allow  the  school-room  to  be  used  for  such  a  purpose. 
In  a  few  days,  a  company  of  strolling  players  visited  the  }>arish; 
whereupon  the  worthy  pastor,  calling  on  the  schoolmaster,  ordered 
the  school-room  to  be  at  their  scrAicc,  to  perform  in." — Dundee  Cour- 
ier, ^3prU,  1825. 


ILLIBERALITY    OF    RELIGIOUS    BODIES.  435 

Perhaps  a  mere  punctilio  respecting  a  certain  mode  of  wor- 
ship, or  a  difference  in  opinion  about  the  choice  of  a  pastor, 
will  throw  the  whole  society  into  a  flame.  Evil  passions 
will  be  engendered ;  backbitings,  whisperings,  tumults, 
and  dissentions,  will  arise ;  harsh  and  unfounded  conclu- 
sions, respecting  the  motives  and  characters  of  indivi- 
uals,  will  be  drawn  ;  alienation  of  affection  will  be  in- 
duced ;  friendly  intercourse  interrupted ;  an  attitude  of 
hostility  assumed ;  and  even  the  rules  of  common  civility 
violated ; — so  that  a  calm  and  impartial  spectator  will 
plainly  discern,  that  the  spirit  of  Christianity  has  never 
been  thoroughly  imbibed,  and  that  they  have  never 
learned  the  apostolic  precept,  "  to  forbear  one  another  in 
love,"  however  high  pretensions  they  may  have  previous- 
ly made  to  spirituality  of  affection  and  deportment. — 
Among  Christians  of  every  name,  we  find  dispositions 
and  practices  daily  prevailing,  which  are  altogether  incon- 
sistent with  the  genius  of  the  religion  of  Christ,  and  di- 
rectly repugnant  to  its  precepts.  Slander,  dishonesty, 
falsehood,  cheating,  swindling,  and  vexatious  litiga- 
tions, are  far  from  being  uncommon  among  those  who  pro- 
fess to  be  united  in  the  bonds  of  a  common  Christianity. 
How  little  dependence  can  we  have,  in  social  and  commer- 
cial transactions,  on  the  promise  or  the  declaration  of  a 
man,  merely  on  the  ground  of  his  being  a  Christian  in  pro- 
fession !  If  written  enga^gements,  and  civil  laws,  did  not 
secure  our  property,  and  the  performance  of  promises  «nd 
contracts,  our  reliance  on  Christian  principle,  abstractly 
considered,  in  the  present  state  of  the  religious  world, 
would  prove  like  that  of  a  person  who  leans  upon  a  broken 
reed.  How  few  would  fulfil  their  promises  and  engage- 
ments, when  they  interfered  with  their  ambitious  schemes, 
and  their  pecuniary  interests !  How  many  instances  of 
fraudulent  bankruptcy  happen  among  the  professors  of  reli- 
gion !  And  in  cases  of  common  bankruptcy,  where  a  legal 
settlement  has  been  obtained,  is  there  one  out  of  a  hundred 
that  ever  thinks  of  performing  an  act  of  natural  justice,  in 
restoring  to  his  creditors  the  loss  they  had  sustained,  when 
he  afterwards  has  it  in  his  power  ^ 

Finally,  the  degree  in   which   the  spirit  of  intolerance 
and  persecution  still   prevails,   shows  a  lamentable   defi- 


436  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF     RELIGION. 

ciency  of  benevolence,  and  of  Christian  spirit,  in  the 
rehgious  world.  Notwithstanding  the  unjust  and  cruel 
sufferings  which  English  Protestants  endured  from  Po- 
pish priests  and  rulers,  a  short  period  only  elapsed,  after 
they  had  risen  to  power,  before  they  began,  in  their  turn, 
to  harass  their  Dissenting  brethren,  with  vexations  and 
cruel  prosecutions,  and  fines  and  imprisonments,  till  they 
were  forced  to  seek  for  shelter  in  a  distant  land.  And 
no  sooner  had  the  English  Independents  settled  in  Ameri- 
ca, than  they  set  on  foot  a  persecution  against  the  Qua- 
kers, no  less  furious  than  that  which  they  themselves  had 
suffered  in  the  country  from  which  they  had  fled.  A 
number  of  these  worthy  persons  they  threw  into  prison, 
aiid  seized  upon  the  books  they  had  brought  from  Eng- 
land, and  committed  them  to  the  flames.  In  virtue 
of  a  law  which  had  been  made  against  heretics  in  general, 
sentence  of  banishment  was  passed  upon  them  all ;  and 
another  law  punished  with  death,  "  all  Quakers  who 
should  return  into  the  jurisdiction  after  banishment ;" 
and  it  is  a  fact,  that  four  persons  actually  suffered 
death,  under  this  impolitic  and  unjust  law.*  Nor 
did  the  Reformed  clergy  in  Scotland  lose  sight  of  that 
magisterial  authority  which  had  been  assumed  by  the 
Romish  church.  Upon  a  representation,  in  1646,  from 
the  Commission  of  the  Kirk  of  Scotland,  James  Bell,  and 
Colin  Campbell,  baiilies  of  Glasgow,  were  committed  to 
prison  by  the  Parliament,  merely  for  having  said,  that 
"  Kirkmen  meddled  too  much  in  civil  matters.''!  Even 
so  late  as  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  when 
Whitefield,  Wesley,  and  other  pious  men,  began  to  address 
the  ignorant  villagers  of  England  on  the  most  important 
subjects,  "a  multitude  has  rushed  together,  shouting  and 
howling,  raving,  and  cursing,  and  accompanying  their  fe- 
rocious cries  and  yells  with  loathsome  or  dangerous  mis- 


*  Morse's  American  Geography. — The  following  severe  laws, 
among  others,  were  enacted  against  the  Cliiakers.  "  Any  Gluaker, 
after  the  first  conviction,  if  n  man,  was  to  lose  one  ear, — and  for  the 
second  offence,  the  other  ; — a  woman,  to  be  each  time  severely  whip- 
ped ; — and  the  third  time,  whether  man  or  woman,  to  have  their 
tongues  bored  throus;h,  with  a  red  hot  iron.^^ 
t  Kaims'  Sketches. 


PERSECUTION  IN  BARBADOES.  437 

siies,  dragging  or  driving  the  preacher  from  his  humble 
stand,  forcing  him,  and  the  few  who  wished  to  hear  him, 
to  flee  for  their  lives,  sometimes  not  without  serious  inju- 
ry before  they  could  escape.  And  these  savage  tumults 
have,  in  many  cases,  been  well  understood  to  be  instigated 
by  persons,  whose  advantage  of  superior  condition  in  life, 
or  even  express  vocation  to  instruct  the  people  better,  has 
been  infamously  lent  in  defence  of  the  perpetrators,  against 
shame  or  remorse,  or  legal  punishment  for  the  outrage. 
And  there  would  be  no  hazard  in  affirming,  that,  since 
Wesley  and  Whitefield  began  to  conflict  with  the  heathen- 
ism of  the  country,  there  have  been  in  it  hundreds  of  in- 
stances answering  in  substance  to  this  description. — Yet 
the  good  and  zealous  men  who  were  thus  set  upon  by  a 
furious  rabble  of  many  hundreds,  the  foremost  of  whom 
active  in  direct  violence,  and  the  rest  venting  their  fero- 
cious delight,  in  a  hideous  blending  of  ribaldry  and  ex 
ecration,  of  joking  and  cursing, — were  taxed  with  a  can- 
ting hypocrisy,  or  a  fanatical  madness,  for  speaking  of  the 
prevailing  ignorance,  in  terms  equivalent  to  those  of  the 
prophet,  *  The  people  are  destroyed  for  lack  of  know- 
ledge.' "• 

But  we  need  not  go  back  even  to  the  distance  of  half  a 
century,  in  order  to  find  instances  of  religious  intolerance 
among  Protestant  communities  and  churches ;  our  own 
times  unhappily  furnish  too  many  examples  of  a  bigoted, 
intolerant,  and  persecuting  spirit.  Little  more  than  two 
years  have  elapsed  since  the  Methodist  chapel  in  Barba- 
does  was  thrown  down  and  demolished  by  the  mob-gentry^ 
and  with  the  connivance  of  the  public  authorities  of  that 
slave-trafficking  island,  and  Mr.  Shrewsbury,  a  worthy 
and  respected  pastor  and  missionary,  obliged  to  flee  for 
his  life.  Previous  to  this  outrage,  he  suflered  every  species 
of  insult,  contumely,  and  reproach.  He  was  abused  as  a 
villain,  and  hissed  in  the  public  streets,  not  by  mere  rabble, 
but  by  X\\t  great  vulgar  ;  by  merchants  from  their  stores,  and 
individuals  in  the  garb  of  gentlemen.  By  such  charac- 
ters his  chapel  was  surrounded,  and  partly  filled,  on  Sun- 
day the  5th  October,  1823.     Thin  glass  bottles  had  been 


+  Foster's  "  Essay  on  Popular  Ignorance, 
37 


438  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

previously  prepared,  and  filled  with  a  mixture  of  oil  and 
assafcetida  ;  and,  all  of  a  sudden,  they  were  thrown  with 
great  violence  in  the  midst  of  the  people,  and  one  was 
aimed  at  the  head  of  the  preacher  ;  and,  during  the  whole 
service,  stones  were  rattling  against  the  chapel  from  every 
quarter.  On  the  next  Sabbath  an  immense  concourse  of 
people  assembled,  "  breathing  out  threatenings  and  slaugh- 
ter ;"  and  from  20  to  30  of  the  g€ntlemen'7}iob  -pldinted 
themselves  around  the  pulpit,  apparently  ready  for  any 
mischief.  Men  wearing  masks,  and  having  swords  and 
pistols,  came  galloping  down  the  street,  and  presenting 
their  pistols,  fired  them  at  the  door  ;  and  it  was  originally 
designed  to  have  fired  crackers  among  the  females,  to  set 
their  clothes  on  fire.  At  length,  on  Sabbath  the  19th, 
this  execrable  mob,  consisting  of  nearly  200  gentlemen  and 
others,  again  assembled,  with  hammers,  saws,  hatchets, 
crows,  and  every  other  necessary  implement ;  and,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  hours,  the  lamps,  benches,  pews,  pulpit, 
and  even  the  walls,  were  completely  demolished.  They 
entered  the  dwelling-house,  broke  the  windows  and  doors, 
threw  out  the  crockery  ware,  chopped  up  tables,  chairs, 
and  every  article  of  furniture  ;  tore  the  manuscripts  of  the 
preacher,  and  destroyed  a  library  of  more  than  300  vol- 
umes. All  this  was  done  under  the  light  of  the  full  moon, 
in  the  presence  of"  an  immense  crowd  of  spectators,  with- 
out the  least  attempt  being  made  to  check  them,  either 
by  the  civil  or  military  authorities — while  the  unfortunate 
preacher,  with  his  wife  in  an  advanced  state  of  pregnan- 
cy, had  to  flee  to  a  neighbouring  island  to  save  his  life  ! 
Such  is  the  tolerant  and  humane  conduct  of  ge?itlemen'PTO- 
testants  of  the  nineteenth  century  !  gentlemen  who  would, 
no  doubt,  consider  it  very  unhandsome  were  they  to  be 
compared  to  Goths  and  Vandals,  or  to  the  rude  and  barba- 
rous savages  of  Papua  or  New  Holland.* 

About  the  same  period,  the  authorities  of  Demerara  set 
on  foot  a  persecution  against  Mr.  Smith,  missionary  from 
the  London  Society,  under  various  pretexts  :  but  his  real 

♦  For  a  more  particular  detail  of  these  execrable  transactions,  see 
"  Report  of  the  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society  for  1S24  j"  and  the  De- 
bates in  Parliament  in  1825, 


PERSECUTION  IN  SWITZERLAND.  439 

crime,  in  the  eyes  of  his  persecutors,  was,  his  unwearied 
zeal  in  instructing  the  negroes  in  the  knowledge  of  reli- 
gion. He  was  condemned  to  death  by  a  court-martial,  in 
the  face  of  every  principle  of  justice  :  he  died  in  prison, 
was  refused  the  privilege  of  a  Christian  burial,  and  his 
friends  were  prohibited  from  erecting  a  stone  to  mark  the 
spot  where  his  body  was  laid. .  The  whole  details  of  this 
transaction  present  a  scene  of  savage  barbarity,  created 
by  the  lust  of  gain,  scarcely  to  be  paralleled  in  the  history 
of  Europe. 

In  Switzerland,  which  was  formerly  the  head  quarters 
of  Protestantism,  the  demon  of  religious  persecution  has 
again  reared  its  head.  The  council  of  state  of  the  Pays 
de  Vaud,  at  the  instigation  of  the  clergy,  on  January 
15,  1835,  published  a  decree,  "  prohibiting,  under  the 
penalty  of  severe  fines  and  imprisonments,  all  meet- 
ings for  religious  worship  or  instruction,  other  than  those 
of  the  Established  Church ;"  and,  in  the  following  May, 
another  decree  was  issued,  which  denounces  "  fines, 
imprisonment,  or  banishment,  upon  the  most  private  kind 
of  religious  assembly,  or  even  the  admission  of  a  single 
visitor  to  family  worship."  In  pursuance  of  these  disgrace- 
ful laws,  several  ministers  and  private  Christians  of  high 
character  for  piety  and  acquirements,  have  been  banish- 
ed from  the  Canton,  some  for  one,  and  some  for  two 
years — cut  off  from  the  means  of  subsistence,  unless  pos- 
sessed of  independent  fortunes,  and  left  perhaps  to  starve 
and  perish  in  foreign  lands.  If  they  return  before  the  ex- 
piration of  their  sentence,  it  is  said  that  death  is  the  pun- 
ishment to  be  inflicted.  One  poor  man,  a  school-master,  in 
the  principality  of  Neufchatel,  has  been  condemned  to 
ten  years'  banishment.  He  was  brought  out  from  prison, 
tied  with  cords,  and  compelled  to  kneel  in  the  snow  in 
the  public  square  to  hear  his  sentence  read.  His  crime 
was,  gathering  together  a  few  fellow-christians  in  his 
own  house,  and  there  having  the  Lord's  supper  adminis- 
tered by  a  regularly  ordained  minister  !* 

And,  is  England  pure  from  the  spirit  of  persecution  and 


*See  a  pamphlet  on  this  subject  by  Dr.  Pye  Smith.  See  also  Cong. 
Mag.  for  June,  1825;  and  other  periodieal  works  of  that  date. 


440  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OP   RELIGION, 

intolerance  ?      Let   us   see. — At   Kenneridge   in   Dorset- 
shire, a  worthy  and  excellent  individual,    belonging   to  the 
Wesleyan  denomination,  had  attended  on  a   green,  where 
20  or  30  persons  usually  congregated,  on  a  Sunday  after- 
noon, to  listen  to  the  truths  he    thought   it   important  to 
declare.       The  clergyman   of     the     parish     approached 
with  a  retinue  of  servants,  and  commanded  him  to    desist. 
The  preacher  took  no  notice  of  the    command,   and  pro- 
ceeded to  read  his  text.     The  clergyman  then  command- 
ed the  tithing-man  to  seize  him.     He  was    directed  to   be 
conveyed  to    Wareham  jail ;  and  to   every  question    the 
preacher  put,  as  to  the  ground  of  his    being   seized   upon, 
the    reverend   and    worthy  clergyman     only     replied   by 
the  brandishing  of  his  stick. — Instances  have  occurred   in 
which  clergymen  of  the  establishment  have  refused  to  bu" 
ry  the  dead.     At  Chidds  Ercal,  in  Shropshire,  the  child  of 
a  poor  man  was    refused   interment,    and    the    father  was 
obliged  to  carry  it  six  miles,  before  it  could  be  laid  at  rest 
in  its   mother-earth. — At  Catsfield,  in    Sussex,   a  similar 
act  of  infamy  U'as  committed.     At  the  moment  when  the 
bell  had  tolled,  when  the  earth  was  to    fall  heavily  upon 
the    coffin    containing     the    only   remains   of    the   being 
that  affection  had  endeared,    and   when   those  who  stood 
by  needed  all  the  consolations  that  religion  can  supply — at 
this  moment  the  clergyman  appeared,  but    advanced    only 
to  give  pain  to  the  mourners,  and  to    agonize  a  parent's 
heart,  by  saying,  "  Now  that  you  have  waited  an  hour  till 
it  suited  me  to  come,  I  will  not  inter  your  child  !  I  did  not 
know  that  you   were  Dissenters — take   your  child  some- 
where else — take  it  where  you  please — but   here   it   shall 
not   lie   in   consecrated   ground."      And,     in    fact,    they 
were   compelled  to  carry    the    child   away  eleven   miles 
from  the  abode  of  its  parents,  and  from  the  place  that  gave 
it  birth,  before   it  could  find  repose  in  its  kindred  dust. — At 
Mevagissey,  in  the  county  of  Cornwall,  the  vicar  refused 
to  allow  the  corpse    of  a   Dissenter  to  be    brought  within 
the  church,  and,  therefore,  read  the   burial   service  in   the 
open  air ;  but,  in    consequence  of  which,  he  read   only  a 
part  of  that  service,  and  omitted  the  most    beautiful    por- 
tion.    Such  a  power  appears  to  be  conceded  to  the  clergy 
by  the  laws  of  the  church ;  but  the    spirit  which  gave    it 
existence  is  deeply  to  be  deplored,  as  the  spirit   of  bigotry 


INTOLERANCE    IN    ENGLAND.  441 

and  intolerance. — At  Wellingborough,  a  clergyman,  in  op- 
position to  a  custom  which   had    been  estabhshed  for  sixty- 
years,  issued  orders,  that  no  bell  should  toll  when  a   Dis- 
senter expired.     He  boldly  avowed  "  that  he  never  would 
permit  the  passing  bell  to  be  rung  for  a  Dissenter,  even  in 
the    event    of    an    interment   in    the    church-yard  ; — that 
wliilst  he  held  the  curacy,  no   bell   of  his   church   should 
ever  toll  for    a   Dissenter ;  and   that  he    would    not    even 
permit  the  bells  to  ring  for  a  marriage    where  the    parties 
were    Dissenters."     In  reference  to  this    case,    an  appeal 
was  made  to  the  Bishop    of  Peterborough,  who    wrote    a 
long  letter  on    the    subject,  and    defended   the    conduct  of 
this  Wellingborough  curate. — At   Newport    Pagnell,    two 
persons,  of  decent  appearance,  teachers  of  Baptist    Socie- 
ties, were  collecting   subscriptions    for    the    erection   of  a 
new  place  of  worship.     After  arriving  at    the  residence  of 
the  parish  clergyman,  they  were    taken    before  a    clerical 
magistrate,  who,  upon  the   oath   of  the   other   clergyman, 
that  they  were  rogues    and   vagrants,   committed    them  to 
Aylesbury   jail ;    where    they  were    confined     for     three 
weeks  in    common   with    the  basest    felons ;  among   con- 
victed thieves   of  the    most   abandoned    character; — nay, 
more,  they  were  sentenced  to    the    tread-mill,  and   kept  at 
hard  labour  there,  though,  during   the   whole    time,  one  of 
them  was  afflicted  with  spitting   of  blood.     Their   papers 
were  seized  upon  ;  their  money   was    taken    from    them  ; 
and,  by  means  of  it,  the  expense    of  sending  them  to  pri- 
son was  defrayed.* 

All  the  above-stated  instances,  and  many  others  of  a 
similar  description,  occurred  within  the  limits  of  the  year 
1824  ;  and  every  year  since  the  "  Society  for  the  Protec- 
tion of  Religious  Liberty"  was  formed,  similar  instances, 
some  of  them  of  a  more  barbarous  nature,  have  been 
brought  forth  to  public  view.  And,  were  it  not  for  the 
protection  which  this  Society  affords  to  the  victims  of  in- 
tolerance, it  is  highly  probable,  that  vexatious  prosecu- 
tions, insults,  fines,  and  imprisonments,  on    account  of  dif- 


♦  The  reader  will  find  a  more  particular  detail  of  these  cases,  in 
the  Address  of  John  Wilks,  Esq.  at  the  Fourteenth  Auniversary  of 
the  "  Protestant  Society  for  the  Protection  of  Religious  Liberty," 
in  May,  1S25. 

37* 


442  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION*. 

ferences  in  religious  opinions,  would  be  much  more  com- 
mon than  they  now  are.  Were  such  individuals  as  those 
to  whom  we  have  now  alluded,  permitted,  by  the  laws  of 
our  country,  to  carry  their  intolerant  spirit  to  its  utmost 
extent.  Dissenters  would  have  no  security  cither  for  their 
property  or  their  lives  ;  and  the  fires  of  Smithfield  would 
again  be  kindled,  to  torture  the  souls,  and  to  consume  the 
bodies,  of  all  who  refused  to  conform  to  the  dogmas  of  a 
national  church. 

After  what  has  been  stated  in  the  preceding  part  of  this 
work,  it  is  almost  needless  to  say,  that  such  an  intolerant 
and  persecuting  spirit  is  diametrically  opposite  to  every 
principle  that  pervades  the  Christian  system  ;  and  there 
cannot  be  a  grosser  misrepresentation  of  its  spirit  and  ten- 
dency, than  to  ascribe  such  dispositions  and  conduct  to 
the  genius  of  that  religion  which  Intolerance  has 
thought  proper  to  assume.  Can  a  single  instance  be  pro- 
duced of  a  persecuting  spirit  in  the  conduct  of  Jesus 
Christ,  or  in  that  of  any  one  of  his  apostles  ?  When  he 
"  was  reviled,  he  reviled  not  again  ;  and  when  he  suffer- 
ed, he  threatened  not;"  and  he  solemnly  rebuked  his 
followers,  when  the  least  symptom  of  intolerance  or  re- 
venge was  displayed.  Can  a  religion,  which  commands 
us  to  "  love  our  neighbours  as  ourselves — to  be  kindly 
affectionate  one  towards  another — to  love  our  enemies — to 
do  good  to  them  that  hate  us — to  bless  them  that  curse  us 
—and  to  pray  for  them  that  despitefully  use  us," — can 
such  a  religion  be  supposed  to  give  the  least  countenance 
to  actions  that  are  both  intolerant  and  inhumane  ?  If  the 
religion  of  Christ  have  any  one  prominent  object  which 
distinguishes  it  from  all  others,  it  is  this — to  unite  mankind 
in  one  harmonious  and  affectionate  society  ;  and  such  an 
object  is  altogether  incompatible  with  resentment,  intoler- 
ance, or  persecution,  in  any  shape.  *'  By  this  shall  all 
men  know,"  says  Jesus,  '*  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye 
love  one  another." 


Here  I  must  close  the  illustrations  of  the  moral  state  of 
mankind,  though  they  might  have  been  carried  to  a  mucli 
greater  extent.     They  present  to  every  benevolent  mind 


GENERAL  REFLECTIONS.  443 

a  gloomy  picture  of  the  moral  aspect  of  the  human  race, 
and  of  the  depravity  which  the  principle  of  malevolence 
carries  in  its  train.  It  is  a  picture  which  shows  us  that 
those  moral  principles  and  laws  which  ihe  Creator  intend- 
ed to  promote,  the  felicity  of  all  worlds,  have  never  yet 
been  brought  into  full  effect  in  the  world  in  which  we  live. 
It  is  a  picture,  however,  from  which  we  ought  not  to  turn 
away  oflr  eyes.  It  sets  before  us  the  evils  which  require 
to  be  counteracted,  and  the  obstacles  which  must  be  sur- 
mounted, before  the  principles  of  malignity  be  extirpated, 
and  the  moral  principles  of  the  Christian  system  take  root 
in  the  world.  But  such  views  of  the  existing  state  of  the 
moral  world,  so  far  from  operating  as  sedatives,  ought  to 
stimulate  us  to  exert  every  energy,  and  to  use  every  judi- 
cious; and  powerful  mean,  which  has  a  tendency  to  pro- 
mote the  accomplishment  of  this  important  object. 

It  would  have  given  me  pleasure  to  have  presented  before 
the  eye  of  the  reader  a  more  cheerful  and  alluring  picture  ; 
but  "  facts  are  stubborn  things,"  and  there  is  no  resisting 
the  force  of  the  evidence  which  they  adduce. — I  intended 
to  relieve  some  of  the  dark  shades  of  this  picture,  by  exhib- 
iting some  faint  radiations  of  truth  and  benevolence  which 
are  still  visible  amidst  the  surrounding  gloom.  For,  amidst 
the  moral  darkness  which  has  so  long  covered  the  earth, 
some  streaks  of  celestial  light  have  always  been  visible  ; 
and  the  dawning  of  a  brighter  day  now  begins  to  gild  our 
horizon.  Substantial  knowledge  is  now  beginning  to  dif- 
fuse its  benign  influence  on  all  ranks  ;  the  shackles  of  des- 
potism are  bursting  asunder ;  the  darkness  of  superstition 
is  gradually  dispelhng  ;  the  spirit  of  persecution  is  borne 
down  and  powerfully  opposed  by  the  force  of  truth  and  of 
common  sense,  and  the  rights  of  conscience  are  beginning 
to  be  generally  recognised.  Philanthropic  institutions  of 
various  descriptions  have  been  established  ;  education  is 
extending  its  beneficial  effects  ;  the  instruction  of  the  young 
is  becoming  an  object  of  more  general  attention  ;  philo- 
sophical institutions,  village  libraries,  and  associations  for 
intellectual  improvement,  are  rapidly  organizing;  Bible 
and  missionary  societies  are  extending  their  influence 
through  every  portion  of  the  religious  world,  and  Chris- 
tianity is  now  beginning  to  display  its  beneficent  energies 
on  distant  continents,  and  the  islands  of  the  ocean. — But, 


444  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

instead  of  entering  into  details  in  the  illustration  of  these, 
and  similar  effects  which  have  always,  in  a  greater  or  less 
degree,  accompanied  the  progress  of  the  christian  religion, 
I  shall,  in  the  meantime,  refer  the  reader  to  the  excellent 
work  of  Dr.  Ryan,  "  On  the  History  of  the  Effects  of  Re- 
ligion on  Mankind." 

Here  a  question  may  be  proposed  by  some  cf  my  read- 
ers,— Is  it  possible  to  bring  the  inhabitants  of  this*  world, 
in  their  present  depraved  state,  to  a  general  observance  of 
the  laws  of  benevolence  which  have  been  illustrated  in 
the  preceding  part  of  this  work  ?  To  such  a  question  I 
would  reply, —  Whatever  man  has  done,  man  may  do. 
Amidst  the  depravity  and  the  darkness  with  which  the 
earth  has  been  generally  enveloped,  individuals  have  oc- 
casionally arisen  who  have  shone  as  lights  in  the  moral 
world,  and  exhibited  bright  patterns  of  Christian  temper 
and  of  active  beneficence.  The  Apostle  Paul  had  his 
mind  imbued  with  a  large  portion  of  the  spirit  of  love. 
He  voluntarily  embarked  in  a  tour  of  benevolence  through 
the  nations  ;  and  in  spite  of  reproaches,  persecutions, 
stripes  and  imprisonments  ;  in  the  midst  of  "  perils  in 
the  waters,  perils  of  robbers,  perils  by  his  own  country- 
men, perils  in  the  city,  and  perils  in  the  wilderness  ;"  and 
in  the  face  of  every  danger,  and  of  death  itselT,  he  prose- 
cuted, with  a  noble  heroism,  his  labour  of  love,  purely  for 
the  sake  of  promoting  the  best  interests  of  mankind.  All 
the  Apostles  engaged  in  the  same  benevolent  undertaking  ; 
they  sacrificed  every  private  interest,  and  every  selfish 
consideration  ;  "  neither  counted  they  their  lives  dear  unto 
themselves,  so  that  they  might  finish  their  course  with 
joy,"  and  be  the  means  of  accomplishing  the  salvation  of 
their  fellow-men. 

Even  in  our  own  times,  many  distinguished  individuals 
have  arisen,  who  have  reflected  honour  on  our  species. 
The  name  of  Howard  is  familiar  to  every  one  who  is  in 
the  least  acquainted  with  the  annals  of  philanthropy,  (see  p. 
41.)  This  excellent  man,  and  truly  philanthropic  charac- 
ter, devoted  his^time,  his  strength,  his  genius,  his  literary 
acquisitions,  and  his  fortune,  and  finally  sacrificed  his  life, 
in  the  pursuits  of  humanity,  and  in  the  unwearied  prose- 
cution of  active  benevolence.  He  travelled  over  every 
country  in  Europe,  and  in  the  adjacent  regions  of  Asia, 


EXAMPLES  OP  BENEVOLENCE.  445 

impelled  by  the  spirit  of  Christian  love,  in  order  to  survey 
the  mansions  of  sorrow  and  of  pain,  and  to  devise  schemes 
for  the  relief  of  human  wretchedness  wherever  it  existed  ; 
and,  in  the  execution  of  this  scheme  of  benevolence,  the 
energies  of  his  mind  were  so  completely  absorbed,  that 
*'  he  never  suffered  himself,  for  a  moment,  to  be  diverted 
from  carrying  it  into  effect,  even  by  the  most  attractive  of 
those  objects  which  formerly  possessed  all  their  most  pow- 
erful influence  upon  his  curiosity  and  his  taste."* 

The  late  Walter  Venning,  Esq.  who  has  been  denom- 
inated, by  Prince  Galitzin,  the  second  Howard,  walked 
in  the  steps  of  his  illustrious  predecessor,  and,  with  the 
most  fervent  Christian  zeal,  devoted  his  short,  but  useful 
life,  to  the  alleviation  of  human  misery,  and  to  the  promo- 
tion of  the  best  interests  of  thousands  of  wretched  indi- 
viduals who  were  "  ready  to  perish."  He  withdrew  himself 
from  the  ordinary  round  of  genteel  society,  and  declined 
all  commercial  business,  that  he  might  devote  the  whole 
energies  of  his  soul  to  benevolent  occupations.  He  com- 
menced his  philanthropic  career,  by  co-operating  in  the 
formation  of  the  '^  Society  for  Improvement  of  Prison  dis- 
cipline," which  was  formed  in  London  in  1816;  and  af- 
terwards visited  the  prisons  in  Petersburgh,  Novogorod, 
Tver,  Moscow,  and  other  cities  in  the  Russian  empire. 
The  prisons,  hospitals,  work-houses,  mad-houses,  houses 
of  correction,  and  the  abodes  of  misery  of  every  description 
in  Petersburgh,  were  visited  by  him,  day  after  day  ;  "  and 
many  a  prisoner,  bowed  down  with  affliction  and  iron, 
was  cheered,  instructed,  and  saved  by  his  ministrations  ;" 
for  his  philanthropy  extended  both  to  the  bodies  and  to  the 
souls  of  men.f 

Many  other  examples  might  be  produced  from  the  an- 
nals of  our  times,  and  of  illustrious  characters,  presently 
existing,  to  demonstrate,  that  a  noble  and  disinterested 
benevolence  is  a  principle,  capable  of  being  exercised  even 
in   the  present  degenerate  state  of  the   inhabitants  of  our 


*  For  a  particular  account  of  the  labours  of  this  eminent  philan- 
thropist, see  Brown's  "Memoirs  of  the  Public  and  Private  Life  of 
John  Howard." 

I  Mr.  Venning  died  in  Petersburgh  in  1821,  in  the  fortieth  year 
of  his  age, 


446  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF     RELIGION. 

world.  We  find  parents  sometimes  displaying  a  high  de- 
gree of  benevolent  feeling  towards  their  offspring,  and  sac- 
rificing their  ease,  and  their  personal  interests,  in  order  to 
secure  their  health,  their  happiness  and  enjoyment.  We 
find  bosom  friends,  like  David  and  Jonathan,  and  like  Da- 
mon and  Pythias,  rejoicing  in  the  welfare  of  each  other, 
and  encountering  difficulties  and  dangers  in  promoting  the 
interests  of  the  objects  of  their  friendship.  What,  then, 
should  hinder  such  dispositions  from  becoming  universal ! 
What  should  hinder  them  from  being  transferred  to  all  the 
sensitive  and  intellectual  beings,  with  whom  we  may  have 
occasion  to  correspond,  or  to  associate  ?  Would  not  the 
universal  exercise  of  such  dispositions  be  highly  desirable  ? 
would  it  not  tend  to  banish  war  and  discord  from  the 
world,  and  to  promote  peace  on  earth,  and  good  will  among 
men  ?  Why,  then,  are  such  dispositions  so  seldom  display- 
ed ?  Not  because  the  universal  exercise  of  them  is  a  thing 
imposible ;  but  because  men,  actuated  by  selfishness,  are 
unwilling  to  give  full  scope  to  the  benevolent  affections ; 
and  because  they  have  never  yet  employed  all  the  requi- 
site means  for  bringing  them  into  full  operation.  If  all 
the  energies  of  the  intellect,  and  all  the  treasures  which 
have  been  expended  in  fostering  malignant  passions,  and 
in  promoting  contentions  and  warfare,  had  been  devoted 
to  the  great  object  of  cultivating  the  principle  of  benevo- 
lence, and  distributing  happiness  among  men ;  the  moral 
and  physical  aspect  of  our  world,  would  long  ago  have 
assumed  a  very  different  appearance  from  what  it  now 
wears. 

The  phUanthropic  individuals,  to  whom  I  have  alluded, 
were  men,  whose  actions  were  sometimes  blended  with 
the  failings  and  imperfections  incident  to  degenerated  hu- 
manity ;  but  the  principle  of  benevolence  ruled  supreme 
over  all  the  subordinate  affections :  and  if  the  world  were 
peopled  with  such  men,  notwithstanding  the  imperfec- 
tions which  attached  to  them,  society,  in  every  land, 
would  present  the  appearance  of  a  moral  paradise,  and 
form  an  image  of  the  harmony  and  felicity  of  "  the  saints 
in  light."  Every  one  who  believes  in  tlie  existence  of  a 
future  state,  fondly  imagines  that  he  shall  enjoy  happiness 
in  that  state.  But,  whence  is  his  happiness  to  arise  in  the 
future  world,  but  from   the  exercise  of  those  dispositions 


EXAMPLES  OF  BENEVOLENCE.  447 

which  the  law  of  God  requires  ?  And  if  the  exercise  of 
benevolent  dispositions  be  essentially  requisite  for  securing 
supreme  felicity  in  the  eternal  state,  their  cultivation,  even 
in  the  present  world,  must  be  an  indispensable  duty,  in  or- 
der to  our  preparation  for  the  employments  of  the  celestial 
world.  For  it  is  a  law  of  the  Creator,  which  is  eternal 
and  immutable,  that  "  without  holiness,  no  man  can  see 
the  Lord."  And  whenever  the  requisite  means  are  em- 
ployed for  the  cultivation  of  holy  and  beneficent  disposi- 
tions, we  may  rest  assured,  that  our  labour  will  be  crown- 
ed with  success.  For  the  energy  of  the  divine  Spirit, 
from  whom  proceedeth  every  good  and  perfect  gift,  is  pro- 
mised to  accompany  the  use  of  every  proper  mean,  so  as 
to  render  it  effectual  for  counteracting  the  effects  of  moral 
evil,  and  for  promoting  the  renovation  of  the  world. 

We  have  examples  before  us,  not  only  of  a  few  insulat- 
ed individuals,  but  of  societies,  where  the  principle  of  be- 
nevolence, in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  pervades  the  whole, 
mass.  The  people  who  have  been  denominated  Quakers, 
have  always  been  distinguished  by  their  humane  and 
peaceable  dispositions,  their  probity  and  hospitality  to  each 
other,  the  cheerfulness  of  their  manners,  their  opposition 
to  war,  and  the  active  zeal  which  they  have  displayed  in 
contributing  to  the  good  of  mankind.  The  Moravians  are 
also  distinguished  for  their  affectionate  intercourse  with 
each  other,  the  liberality  of  their  dispositions,  the  peacea- 
bleness  of  their  tempers,  the  purity  and  simplicity  of  their 
lives,  and  their  missionary  efforts  for  evangelizing  the  hea- 
then world.*     Would  to     God  that  the  whole  world  were 


*  The  following  anecdote,  is  illustrative  of  the  character  of  many 
of  the  Moravians,  or  Hernhutters,  as  they  are  sometimes  called. — In 
a  late  vi^ar  in  Germany,  a  Captain  of  cavalry  was  ordered  out  on  a 
foraging  party.  He  put  himself  at  the  head  of  his  troop,  and  march- 
ed to  the  quarter  assigned  him.  It  was  a  soUtary  valley,  in  which 
hardly  any  thing  but  woods  was  to  be  seen.  In  the  midst  of  it  stood 
a  little  cottage  ;  on  perceiving  it,  he  rode  up,  and  knocked  at  the  door : 
out  comes  an  ancient  Hemhutter  with  a  beard  silvered  by  age.  "  Fa- 
ther," says  the  officer,  "  show  me  a  field  where  I  can  set  my  troopers 
a-foraging.»  "  Presently,"  repUed  the  Hemhutter.  The  good  old 
man  walked  before,  and  conducted  them  out  of  the  valley.  After  a 
quarter  of  an  hour's  march,  they  found  a  field  of  barley.  "  There  is 
the  very  thing  we  want,"  says  the  Captain.    "Have  patience  for  a 


448  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OP    RELIGION. 

Quakers  and  Moravians,  notwithstanding  their  peculiari- 
ties of  opinion  !  With  all  their  foibles  and  imperfections, 
society  would  then  wear  a  more  beautiful  and  alluring  as- 
pect than  it  has  ever  yet  done  ;  peace  and  industry  would 
be  promoted  ;  the  fires  of  persecution  would  be  quench- 
ed ;  philanthropy  would  go  forth  among  the  nations,  dis- 
tributing a  thousand  blessings,  and  the  people  would  learn 
war  no  more. 


I  intended  in  this   place,  to   inquire  into  the  means  by 

WHICH    TUB     rRACTICE    OF      CHRISTIAN      MORALITY     MIGHT 

BE  PROMOTED.  But  1  find,  that  this  is  a  subject  which 
would  require  a  distinct  volume  for  its  illustration.  At 
present,  I  can  suggest  only  two  or  three  hints. 

In  the  first  place,  The  intellectual  instruction  of  the 
young  should  be  an  object  of  universal  attention,  both  in 
public  and  private.  For  true  knowledge  is  the  spring  of 
all  religious  emotions,  and  of  all  virtuous  actions.  By  intel- 
lectual instruction,  I  do  not  mean  merely  a  series  of  exer- 
cises in  spelling,  pronouncing,  parsing,  construing,  writing, 
and  figuring ;  but  a  communication  of  the  elements  of 
thought,  and  of  clear  and  extensive  conceptions  of  the  phy- 
sical and  moral  relations  of  the  universe. — 2.  The  moral  in- 
struction of  the  young  should  be  an  object  of  particular  and 


very  few  minutes,"  replied  the  guide,  "  and  you  shall  be  satisfied." 
They  went  on,  and,  about  the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  league  far- 
ther, they  arrived  at  another  field  of  barley.  The  troop  immediately 
dismounted,  cut  down  the  grain,  trussed  it  up,  and  remounted.  The 
officer,  upon  this,  says  to  his  conductor,  "  Father,  you  have  given 
yourself  and  us  unnecessary  trouble  ;  the  first  field  was  much  better 
than  this."  "  Very  true.  Sir,"  replied  the  good  old  man,  "  but  it 
WAS  NOT  MINE." — Hcrc  we  have  a  beautiful  practical  exhibition  of 
love  to  (Mr  neighbour,  and  of  calm  resignation  to  the  providential  dis- 
pensations of  God.  How  few  professed  Christians  have  been  found 
acting  in  this  manner  !  And  yet,  I  doubt  not,  that  this  good  man 
would  experience  more  true  satisfaction  in  the  temper  and  conduct 
he  displayed,  than  if  he  had  either  offered  resistance,  practised  dis- 
simulation, or  set  them  to  plunder  his  neighbour's  field.  A  number 
of  disinterested  actions  such  as  this,  would  contribute  more  powerful- 
ly to  the  support  of  the  Christian  cause  than  a  thousand  theological  dis- 
putes, imbued  with  te  spirit  and  temper  with  which  they  have  been 
most  frci^uently  conducted. 


ME.VJfS    OF   PROMOTIXa    BENEVOLENCE.  440 

incessant  attention.  Moral  instruction  should  be  inculcated, 
not  merely  by  a  reiteration  of  dry  precepts,  maxims,  and 
abstract  doctrines,  or  by  a  reference  to  the  details  and  flim- 
sy sentiments  contained  in  fictitious  narratives  ;  but  by  a 
pointed  and  specific  reference  to  real  facts ;  as  exhibited 
in  the  Sacred  History,  the  annals  of  nations,  and  in  the 
scenes  of  the  family,  and  of  general  society.  I  would  ex- 
pect no  greater  assistance  in  the  work  of  moral  instruction, 
from  the  Religious  novels  with  which  the  Christian  world 
is  now  deluged,  than  I  would  do  from  a  circulation  of  the 
Pious  Frauds  which  were  so  common  in  the  first  ages  of 
the  church. — In  schools,  and  in  families,  every  thing 
which  has  a  tendency,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  to  foster 
pride,  envy,  contention,  revenge,  and  other  malignant  af- 
fections, should  be  firmly  and  sedulously  discouraged  and 
counteracted  ;  and  higher  rewards  (if  rewards  be  expedi- 
ent) should,  in  every  instance,  be  bestowed  on  the  individ- 
ual who  cultivates  and  displays  benevolent  affections,  than 
on  him  who  is  distinguished  merely  for  intellectual  acquire- 
ments. Hitherto,  a  more  decided  preference  seems  to  have 
been  given  to  what  is  termed  genius,  than  to  moral  ac- 
complishments.— 3.  Insthutioris  should  be  formed  for 
commmiicating  literary  and  scientific  knowledge,  blended 
with  moral  and  religious  instructions,  to  persons  of  botli 
sexes,  and  of  every  rank  and  age,  from  fifteen  years  and 
upwards,  particularly  to  apprentices,  journeymen,  clerks, 
shop-keepers,  and  others,  for  the  purpose  of  calling  forth 
into  action  the  energies  of  their  minds,  and  for  preventing 
the  growth  of  habits  of  dissipation.  la  such  institutions, 
the  manifestation  of  benevolent  affections,  and  propriety 
of  moral  conduct,  should  be  made  the  conditions  of  enjoy- 
ini^  the  instructions  and  privileges  of  the  association. — 4 
In  connection  with  these  and  other  means,  the  cause  of 
practical  morality  would  be  powerfully  promoted,  were 
the  ministers  of  religion,  among  all  parties,  to  direct  their 
etiergies  to  the  discussion  of  moral  subjects,  on  Christian 
principles,  instead  of  confining  their  attention  almost  ex- 
clusively to  doctrinal  discussions.  Religion  is  not  a  system 
merely  of  speculative  and  metaphysical  truths,  nor  does 
it  consist  in  the  contemplation  of  mysterious  facts,  or  in- 
comprehensible dogmas  ;  but  is  a  rational  and  tangible 
subject,  addressed  to  the  reason,  the  feelings,  the  hopes 
38 


450  THE    PHILOSOPHY      OF     RELlGIOJf. 

and  fears,  and  the  common  sense  of  mankind  ;  and,  there- 
fore, its  illustrations  should  be  chiefly  derived  from  the 
facts  of  Sacred  History,  the  system  of  nature,  and  from 
the  existing  objects,  scenes,  and  associations  with  which 
we  are  connected. — A  much  greater  degree  of  animation, 
and  of  energy,  than  is  now  displayed  in  instructions  from 
the  pulpit,  is  also  requisite  for  arresting  the  attention,  and 
rivetting  impressions  of  moral  and  religious  truths  upon  the 
mind.  If  fewer  sermons  were  delivered,  and  a  greater 
portion  of  intellectual  energy  concentrated  in  each  discourse ; 
and  if  preachers,  particularly  among  dissenters,  had  fewer 
discourses  to  compose,  and  more  time  for  taking  an  ample 
intellectual  range  through  the  system  of  nature,  of  Provi- 
dence, and  of  revelation,  a  more  powerful  eflect  would 
undoubtedly  be  produced  on  the  Christian  world,  and 
upon  all  who  occasionally  attend  on  the  ministrations  of 
religion. 

I  need  scarcely  add,  that  all  such  means  ought  to  be  ac- 
companied with  fervent  prayer  to  the  "  Father  of  lights,'* 
and  dependence  on  the  promised  aid  of  the  Spirit  of  holi- 
ness. But  without  the  application  of  all  the  energetic 
means  which  reason  and  revelation  suggest,  we  have  no 
reason  to  conclude,  and  it  would  be  presumption  to  expect, 
that  the  influences  of  heaven  will  descend  upon  the  moral 
world.  For  it  appears,  in  point  of  fact,  to  be  one  part  of 
the  plan  of  the  divine  procedure,  that  human  agents  shall 
be  the  means  of  enlightening  each  other,  and  of  promoting 
the  renovation  of  the  world,  as  "workers  together  with 
God." 

CONCLUSIONS    FROM    THE     GENERAL    PRINCIPLES     ILLUSTRA- 
TED   IN    THIS    VOLUME. 

If  the  general  train  of  sentiment  which  runs  through  the 
preceding  discussions  and  illustrations  be  admitted,  the 
following  conclusions  may  be  deduced  respecting, 

I.  The  subject  of  preaching,  and  the  grand  aim  which 
the  ministers  of  religion,  in  their  discourses,  ought  always 
to    have  in    view.*     We  have    already  seen,    that    it   i^ 


*  The  Author  originally  intended  to  illustrate  this,  and  the  follow- 
ing conclusions,  at  considerable  length,  and  to  enter  into  a  variety  of 


GENERAL    CONCLUSIONS.  451 

the  great  object  of  revelation  to  bring  into  practical  opera- 
tion the  principles  of  love  to  God  and  to  rnan  :  and,  it  is 
obvious,  that,  what  is  the  main  object  of  Christianity  to 
accomplish,  ought  to  be  the  ultimate  aim  of  every  Chris- 
tian preacher.  It  is  not  merely  to  convert  men  to  the  be- 
lief of  certain  opinions^  or  to  induce  them  to  embrace  the 
peculiarities  of  a  party.  It  is,  that  they  may  "  be  renew- 
ed in  the  spirit  of  their  minds,"  and,  "  made  meet  for  the 
inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light" — it  is,  that  they  may 
"  deny  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  and  live  soberly, 
righteously,  and  godly,  in  the  present  evil  world ;"  and  be 
"  united  together  in  love^  which  is  the  bond  of  perfection.'' 
— Metaphysical  disquisitions,  respecting  dogmas  in  reli- 
gion, have  very  little  tendency  to  ameliorate  the  heart,  and 
to  promote  benevolent  dispositions  and  affections.  On  the 
contrary,  they  have  frequently  produced  a  temper  of  mind 
directly  opposite  to  the  spirit  of  Christianity.  They  have 
led  multitudes  to  pique  themselves  on  the  supposed  purity 
of  their  profession,  and  the  orthodoxy  of  their  creed,  and 
to  point  at  others  as  heretics,  and  subverters  of  the  gospel, 
on  account  of  some  slight  differences  in  sentiment  about  a 
particular  doctrine  ;  while  they  themselves  have  never  at- 
tempted to  cultiv^ate  heavenly  dispositions,  and  to  display 
that  charity  which  "  suffereth  long,  and  is  kind,  which 
is  not  easily  provoked,  and  thinketh  no  evil."  There  are 
certain  doctrines  and.  facts,  which  we  ought  always  to 
recognize,  and  to  keep  in  view  as  fundamental  axioms  in 
the  Christian  system  ; — such  as,  that  "there  is  one  God, 
and  on?  JMediator  between  God  and  man,  the  man  Christ 
Jesus  ;"  that  *'  he  died  for  our  offences,  and  rose  again  for 
our  justification  ;"  that  "  all  have  sinned  and  come  short 
of  the  glory  of  God  ;"  and  that  "  we  are  justified  freely 
by  his  grace,  through  the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Je- 
sus." But,  there  is  no  necessity  for  expatiating  almost 
exclusively  on  these  and  similar  doctrines,  as  is  frequently 
done,  to  the  exclusion  of  practical  morality  ;  since  they 
ought  to  be  regarded  in   the  light  rather  of  first  principles 


circumstantial  details;  but,  as  the  intended  illustrations  wouldor- 
eupy  more  than  a  hundred  pages,  and  as  the  work  has  already 
swelled  to  a  considerable  size,  he  is  under  the  necessity  of  pcstpcn- 
ing  thcnti  for  the  present. 


452  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

in  religion,  than  as  topics  which  require  to  be  proved  by 
laboured  and  diffused  arguments.  Yet  it  is  a  fact,  that 
such  doctrines,  which  are  only  the  means  of  religion,  have 
been  expatiated  upon  without  intermission,  as  if  the  sim- 
ple belief  of  them  were  the  end  of  religion;  while  the 
great  moral  object  of  Christianity  has  been  either  entirely 
overlooked,  or  thrown  into  the  shade.  What  should  we 
think  of  the  instructor  of  youth,  who  confined  the  atten- 
tion of  his  pupil  solely  to  the  characters  of  the  alphabet, 
and  to  the  pronunciation  of  a  few  elementary  sounds,  and 
then  dismissed  him  with  a  general  exhortation,  to  apply 
them  to  all  the  combinations  of  letters  and  syllables  he 
might  find  in  every  book?  Could  we  ever  expect,  that,  in 
ordinary  cases,  such  a  pupil  would  either  make  progress 
in  the  art  of  reading,  or  use  it  as  the  medium  of  acquiring 
knowledge  ?  And  what .  shall  m'c  think  of  those  who  do 
little  more  than  attempt  to  explain  the  axioms  of  the 
Christian  system,  but  never  show  their  bearings  on  the 
-scenery  of  real  life,  nor  endeavour  to  extend  our  views  of 
the  providential  operations  of  God,  and  of  the  glory  of  his 
kingdom  ?  If  Christianity  consisted  merely  in  abstract  dis- 
quisitions, and  metaphysical  dogmas,  such  a  practice  might 
be,  in  some  measure,  defensible :  but  since  it  is,  in  every 
sense  of  the  word,  a  i^ractical  system,  it  is  next  to  trifling 
with  its  prominent  objects,  to  confine  the  range  of  reli- 
gious discussions  within  so  narrow  bounds  as  is  generally 
done  by  many  of  those  who  are  designated  by  the  term 
evangelical  ;  and  argues  a  complete  forgetfulness  of  the 
apostle's  exhortation,  "  Therefore,  leaving  the  first  princi- 
ciples  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  let  us  go  on  to  perfection,'' 
tracing  first  principles  through  all  their  diversified  bearings 
on  moral  action,  and  on  Christian  contemplation. 

One  of  the  great  objects  of  preaching  ought,  undoubted- 
ly, to  be,  to  investigate  the  numerous  and  minute  ramifica- 
tions of  human  conduct;  to  explore  every  avenue  of  cor- 
ruption ;  to  endeavour  to  draw  forth  from  its  hiding-place 
every  immoral  principle  and  action,  which  exerts  its  per- 
nicious influence  in  Christian  or  in  general  society;  and. 
with  all  the  powers  of  grapliical  description  w^c  can  com- 
mand, to  portray  them  before  the  eyes  of  men,  in  all  their 
repulsive  features,  and  in  all  their  abominations.  At  the 
same  time,  we  ouglit  to  apply  the  toucli-aione  of  tlve  di- 


MORAL    PRBACHING.  463 

vine  law  to  every  unchristian  propensity    and   practice;  to 
exhibit  its  contrariety  to   the  spirit    of  our   holy    religion  ; 
to  show  ho^   the   principle    of  love   ought    to    operate  in 
every  given  case    and   circumstance,  and  in   the   minutest 
actions    of  human   hfe  ;  and   how   very    diflerent    effects 
would  be  produced,  were  the  principles  laid  down  by  our 
Saviour  and  his  apostles,  to  operate  with  full  effect  through- 
out every  department  of  the    moral    world.     Unless   such 
objects  be  generally  aimed  at,  and    steadily  kept  in   view, 
in  the  course  of  public  instruction,   religion  will  be    apt  to 
degenerate  into  a  mere  figment,  or,  at  most,  into  a  subject 
of  wrangling,  or  a  matter  of  curious  speculation. 

Let  no  class  of  religionists  presume    to  tell  us,    that,    if 
the  fundamental  doctrines  of  religion  be   simply  declared, 
Christian  morality  will   follow  as  a  matter  of  course  ;  and 
that,  to  expatiate  on  any  particular    branch    of  social  con- 
duct, is  to  degenerate  into  legal  preaching.     If  this  princi- 
ple were  to  be   admitted,  then    all    the    expostulations  and 
denunciations  of  the    prophets,  all   the    reproofs    and    ex- 
hortations of  the  apostles,   all  the    moral    sermons    of  our 
Saviour,   and  all    the    minute    directions    in    reference    to 
moral  conduct,  detailed  in    every    epistle  to  the    Christian 
churches,  may  be  regarded  as  egregious  trifling.     If  it    be 
one  grand  design  of  Revelation  to    restore    mankind   from 
the  ruins  of  the    fall,  and  to  reinstate  them  in    that   integ- 
rity which  they  at  first  possessed  ; — if  it  was  the  chief  de- 
sign  of  "  the  law    and    the    prophets"  to    bring  forth    into 
action,  on  the  theatre  of  the  world,  the    two    fundamental 
principles  of  the  moral  law,  as  the  Lawgiver   himself  has 
expressly    stated,    fMatth.  xxii.  37 — 40  ;) — if  the    sweet 
singer  of  Israel    devoted   a    large    portion    of  his   inspired 
strains  to  the  celebration    of  the    divine    precepts,  (Psalm 
cxix.  &c.;) — if  most  of  the  sermons  and  parables  of  our  Sa- 
viour have  a  direct  bearing  on  the  same  important  subject ; 
— if  the  apostle    Paul,  in  his    instructions   to  a    Christian 
minister,  enlarged  particularly  on  the  duties   which  should 
be  inculcated  on  the  various  ranks    and    relations  of  men, 
(Titus  ii.  iii,;) — if  all  the  apostolic  letters  to  the  Christian 
churches  are  full  of  minute  directions,  in  relation  to  every 
branch  of  moral  duty ; — if  heaven  be  the  scene  of  perfect 
moral  rectitude,  where  ardent  affection  towards    God,    and 
towards    fellow-intelligences,     ever   reigns — where    love, 
38* 


454  THE    PHI1.0S0PHY     OF     RELIGION. 

peace  and  harmony,  eternally  prevail ; — if  the  happiness 
of  that  world  depend  upon  the  absence  of  moral  evil,  and 
the  attainment  of  moral  perfection  ; — if  the  present  world 
be  a  state  of  preparation  for  the  enjoyments  of  that 
happier  region  ; — if  this  preparation  consist  in  having  th(? 
principles  of  love  to  God  and  to  man  interwoven  through 
the  whole  constitution  of  the  mind,  and  brought  forth 
into  action  in  the  diversified  scenes  of  civil  and  religious 
intercourse  ; — if  such  important  eilects  cannot  be  produc- 
ed, unless  by  laying  open  to  view  the  latent  abominations 
of  the  heart,  by  impelling  the  moral  principles  of  the 
gospel  through  all  the  avenues  and  windings  of  the  hu- 
man passions  and  affections  ;  and  by  illustrating,  with 
minute  particularity,  every  subordinate  branch  of  Chris- 
tian duty ; — if  these  positions  be  admitted,  it  will  follow, 
that  the  duties  of  Christian  morality,  so  far  from  being 
thrown  into  an  obscure  corner,  ought  to  occupy  a  promi- 
nent place  in  the  range  of  the  ministrations  of  every  Chris- 
tian minister,  who  is  desirous  to  promote  the  improvement 
of  society,  and  the  renovation  of  the  world. 

In  short,  we  expect  no  grand  moral  reformation  to  be 
achieved — no  commencement  of  the  millennial  era  of  the 
church,  till  "  the  watchmen  upon  JMount  Sion,"  with 
more  energy  than  they  have  yet  displayed,  "  shall  lift  up 
their  voice  like  a  trumpet,  and  show  to  the  house  of  Ja- 
cob their  transgressions" — till  they  "  lift  it  up  with 
strength,  and  not  be  afraid"  of  any  suspicions  that  may 
be  thrown  out  against  their  orthodoxy,  when  they  show 
unto  men  the  path  of  duly  in  all  its  bearings  on  the  rela- 
tions of  time,  and  on  the  employments  of  eternity — till 
they  make  the  moral  principles  of  Reveiulion  bear,  in  all 
their  force,  not  only  on  the  prominent  features  of  social 
life,  but  upon  every  minute  ramification  of  human  con- 
duct— till  eveiy  lurking  principle  of  jealousy,  envy,  ava- 
rice, and  revenge  be  made  to  feel  their  energy — till  even 
the  very  amusements  of  public  and  domestic  life  be  made 
to  bend  to  the  eternal  laws  of  rectitude,  and  to  carry  on 
their  fronts  that  noble  inscription,  '*  Holiness  to  thi: 
Lord." 

II.  If  the  preceding  train  of  sentiments  be  admitted, 
we  may  be  directed  in  our  views  of  the  nature  and  ends  of 


CHURCH    CENSURES.  465 

■  hurch   discipline,  and  the  persons  on   whom  it  ought  to 
be  exercised. 

In   a  great  majority  of  C'hristian  churches,  censures  are 
inflicted  cliiefly,  or  solely,  on  persons  guilty  of  an  external 
breach  of  one   or   two  precepts  of  the   decalogue — only 
one  or  two  species  of  violations  of  the  moral  law  are  con- 
sidered   as   worthy  of  cognizance  ;  while  the   systematic 
operations  of  slander,  revenge,  envy,  and  avarice — the  in- 
dications of  harsh,  sour,  and  ungovernable   tempers,    and 
the  absence   of  Christian   candour  and  affection — circum- 
stances which  display  the  real  characters  of  men  far  more 
distinctly  than  any  insulated  acts    of  immorality  can  do — • 
are   either  wholly    overlooked,  or  considered  as  character- 
istics   of  very  trivial  import.     The   censures   to  which  I 
allude,  are  likewise  accompanied,  in  many  instances,  with 
a  degree  of  magisterial  haughtiness,  severity,  and  unchris' 
tian  feeling,  which  is  directly  repugnant  to  every  amiable, 
candid,   and   generous  principle.     A  person   guilty,   in   a 
single  instance,  of  a  breach  of  the  seventh  or  eighth  com- 
mandments, will  lie  under  the  frown  of  a  religious   society 
for  years,  and  even  to  the  close  of  his  life,  notwithstand- 
ing every  evidence  he  can  give  of  the   sincerity  of  his  re- 
pentance, and  even  be   deprived  ,of  the  means   of  earning 
his  subsistence  ;  while  another  may  habitually  violate  al- 
most all  the  other  precepts  of  tlie  decalogue,  and  be  screen- 
ed from  the  discipline  of  the  church.     He  may  be  avari- 
cious, cunning,  and  deceitful  ;    harsh  and   iinteeling   in  his 
conduct ;  uncandid  and  uncharlt-able  in  his  dispositions  to- 
wards others  ;  proud,  selfish,  and  obstinate  in  his  temper  ; 
addicted  to  slander  and  to  incessant   litigations  ;  impatient 
of  control  ;  and  boisterous  and  contentious  in  his  general 
deportment — and  yet  be  considered  as  no  proper  object  of 
censure  ;  and,  though   never  manifesling  the  least  symp- 
tom of  penitence,  will  be  viewed  as  a  tolerably  fair  char- 
acter in  religious   society,   especially   if  he  has  acquired  a 
considerable  share  of  wealth  and   of  influence  in  general 
society. — Of  such  cases  and  practices,  the  author  had  se- 
lected a  number  of  striking  examples,  which  the  narrow 
limits  to  which  he  is  confined   in  the   present  work,   con- 
strain him,  in  the  mean  time,  to  postpone. 

Now,  if  the   general   sentiments  already  thrown  out  be 
founded  on  truth,  and  on  the  nature  of  tbings,  such  a  prac- 


456  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

tice  as  tliat  to  whicli  we  allude,  must  be  absurd,  unchris- 
tian, and  inconsistent  with  the  preservation  of  the  moral 
purity  of  religious  society.  It  has  this  pernicious  tenden- 
cy, among  others,  that  it  leads  multitudes  to  imagine,  that, 
if  they  can  keep  clear  of  two  or  three  acts  of  moral  delin- 
quency, they  may  trample  on  every  divine  principle  and 
law  with  impunity.  A  poor  wretch,  under  the  pressure  of 
j)overty,  steals  a  hen  or  a  pocket  handkerchief,  and,  not- 
withstanding his  subsequent  repentance,  is  banished  from 
social  intercourse,  and  held  up  to  execration ;  while  a 
sanctimonious  hypocrite  will  swindle  his  neighbour  out  of 
a  hundred  pounds,  if  no  criminal  law  can  take  hold  of  him, 
and  will  retain  his  station  in  the  church,  and  hold  up  his 
face  without  a  blush  in  the  presence  of  general  society.  It 
U  obvious,  if  there  be  any  truth  in  what  we  have  hitherto 
stated,  that  the  general  tenor  of  the  conduct,  and  the  uni- 
form manifestation  of  benevolent  affections,  ought,  in  ev- 
ery case,  to  form  the  grand  criterion  of  a  man's  being  en- 
titled to  the  character  of  a  Christian ;  and,  that  disposi- 
tions of  an  opposite  nature  habitually  displayed,  however 
much  overlooked  in  the  general  intercourse  of  life,  ought 
to  form  a  ground  of  exclusion  from  the  society  of  the 
faithful. 

III.  This  subject  has  a  particular  bearing  upon  the  divi- 
sions which  subsist  in  the  religious  world,  and  the  grand 
principles  which  ought  to  form  a  bond  of  union  among  all 
who  acknowledge  the  truth  of  the  Christian  Revelation. 
— If  the  train  of  thought  illustrated  in  the  preceding 
pages  be  correct,  it  will  follow,  that  a  cordial  union  of 
the  various  sections  of  the  Christian  church  is  to  be  ex- 
pected from  the  cultivation  of  the  Spirit  of  Love,  more 
than  from  any  attempt  to  produce  an  exact  coincidence  of 
opinion  on  those  theological  points  in  which  they  now  dif- 
fer. Wherever  this  spirit  is  found  expanding  the  soul,  and 
governing  the  affections,  it  will  lead  its  possessors  to  view 
the  peculiar  opinions  of  others  whh  candour  ;  to  respect 
their  persons  ;  to  allow  them  lil)erty  of  thought  on  all  the 
subordinate  ramifications  of  theological  sentiment ;  and 
to  set  a  higher  value  on  moral  qualifications,  and  the  man- 
ifestation of  benevolent  affections,  than  on  those  circum- 
etantial  opinions  which  do  not  enter  into  the  essence  of 
the  Christian  scheme.     If  the  professing  Christian   world 


CHRISTIAN    UNION.  457 

were  thoroughly  investigated,  it  would  be  found,  that  it  is 
owing  more  to  the  absence  of  this  spirit,  that  Christians 
stand  so  much  aloof  from  each  other,  than  to  the  specula- 
tive opinions  which  they  respectively  maintain.  The 
prevalent  disposition  for  sneering  at  other  denominations, 
and  the  pleasure  that  seems  to  be  felt  in  laying  open  their 
sores,  will  generally  be  found  to  proceed  from  a  principle 
of  pride,  and  of  self-conceit  in  regard  to  our  own  favour- 
ite opinions,  some  of  which,  when  probed  to  the  bottom, 
will  be  found  as  rotten  as  our  neighbour's.  Why  are  men 
not  as  much  disposed  to  pass  encomiums  on  what  is  sound 
in  the  opinions,  and  laudable  in  the  conduct,  of  other 
parties,  as  they  are  to  censure  them  for  minor  peculiarities 
of  sentiment  ?  Why  ?  Because  it  appears,  tliat  many  pro- 
fessed Christians  take  more  delight  in  the  exercise  of  ma- 
levolent feelings  than  of  benevolent  affections  ;  and  are 
like  flies,  that  pass  over  the  sound  parts  of  a  man's  body, 
and  fix  upon  his  sores.  Till  such  unchristian  dispositions 
be  undermined,  and  tempers  of  an  opposite  description 
pervade  the  ranks  of  Christian  society,  we  can  expect  no 
cordial  nor  lasting  union  in  the  visible  church,  however 
many  ingenious  schemes  may  be  formed,  to  bring  about 
this  desirable  event.  For  every  effect  must  have  an  ade- 
quate cause  :  this  cause  will  be  found  to  consist  more  in 
affection  than  in  opinion  ;  and  a  union  formed  on  an  ap- 
parent coincidence  of  sentiment,  immingled  with  ardent 
love  and  affection,  would  be  unworthy  of  the  name,  and 
would  soon  be  dissolved. 

It  can  form  no  decisive  mark  of  a  man's  Christianity, 
that  he  recognizes  the  peculiar  opinions  of  the  Bap- 
lists  or  the  Peedo-Baptists,  of  Presbyterians,  Episcopa- 
lians, or  Independents ;  it  is  a  matter,  comparatively  of 
little  importance,  whether  a  man  believes  that  Christ  was 
an  actual  or  a  virtual  Mediator  under  the  Old  Testa- 
ment ;  whether  he  be  designated  the  Son  of  God  in  virtue 
of  his  office,  or  of  his  nature ;  whether  or  not  we  be 
guilty  of  Adam's  first  sin;  whether  the  transaction  which 
passed  between  him  and  his  Creator,  should  be  viewed 
as  a  law,  or  as  a  covenant ;  whether  the  ordinance  of 
baptism  should  be  administered  by  dipping,  or  by  sprink- 
ling, &c.  (fee. — But  it  is,  unquestionably,  a  matter  of  the 
highest    moment,    both   to    the   person    him.self,   and    to 


458  THE     PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGION. 

Christian  society,  that   his    temper,    ajSections,    and   con- 
duct, should  be    in   unison   with    the   holy   law    of  God, 
and  that  he  should  display  the  love  which  it  requires,  in  all 
his  social,  commercial,  domestic,   and    Christian   intercour- 
ses ; — and  if  such  dispositions  and  conduct  were  universal- 
ly to  prevail  among  the  various  denominations  of  the  Relig- 
ious world,  union  would  soon  follow,  as  a  matter  of  course. 
— If,  therefore,  v»'e  wish  to  behold  the  unhappy  divisions 
of  the  church  cemented,  let  us  cultivate,  with  ardour,  those 
amiable  and  affectionate  dispositions  which  our  Benevolent 
Religion  inculcates,  and  be  more  anxious  to  correct  our 
own  mental  and  moral  aberrations,  than  to  magnify  the  er- 
rors and  the   faults  of  others.     Let  us  make   eveiy  allow- 
ance for  the  effects  which   education,  habit,  temper,  local 
circumstances,  and  particular  associations,  may  have  pro- 
duced on  the   opinions  of  our   supposed  erring  brethren ; 
and  let  us  consider,  that  we  ourselves,  had  we  been  placed 
in  the  same  circumstances,  might  have  imbibed  the  same 
sentiments.     Let  us  endeavour  to  acquire   clear  and  w^ell- 
defined  ideas  on   every  subject  connected   with   religion; 
that  we  may  not  contend  about  trifles,  about  mere  abstract 
ideas,  or  the   application   of   particular  terms  or  phrases. 
Let  us  keep  our  eyes  fixed  on  the   great   and  prominent 
objects  of  Revelation,    and  on  all   the  subordinate   active 
means  by  which  they  may  be  promoted.     Let  us  consider 
religion   as   consisting  more    in  action,  than    in  specula- 
tion.     Let  our  love   to    Christian  brethren    be  founded, 
not  so  much  on   a  general  coincidence   of   opinion,   as  on 
the  resemblance  they  bear  to  the  Divine  image  ;  and  then 
we  may   confidently    expect,    that    that  period   will  soon 
approach,  when  the  saints  of  God  "  shall  see  eye  to  eye," 
in  reference  to  all  the  grand  bearings  of  the  Gospel  scheme, 
and   when   the   name  of  Jehovah  shall  be  one  throughout 
all  the  earth. 

IV.  We  may  learn,  from  the  subject  we  have  been  illus- 
trating, what  notions  we  ought  to  form  of  the  nature 
of  a  future  state  of  happiness^  and  of  the  preparation 
requisite  for  enablivg  us  to  engage  in  its  employmeiits. — The 
felicity  of  the  future  world  will  not  consist  simply  in  ^change 
of  place ;  nor  will  it  consist  chiefly  in  a  change  of  senti- 
ment or  opinion.  Its  foundation  must  be  laid  in  the  prin- 
ciple of  Lo%)e,  and  in  the  complete  renovation  of  the  moral 


MEANS    or    CHRISTIAN    UNION.  469 

powers  of  the  human  mind,  without  which,  no  celestial 
scene  could  produce  permanent  enjoyment.  Although  all 
the  theologians  who  now  exist  were  united  in  opinion 
about  every  article  of  the  system  of  Divinity ;  and  al- 
though they  were  transported  to  the  most  splendid  world 
tliat  revolves  around  the  star  Arcturus  ;  alter  the  first  trans- 
ports, arising  from  the  novelty  and  the  grandeur  of  the 
scene,  had  subsided,  they  would  enjoy  little  more  happi- 
ness in  that  orb,  than  they  do  in  this  terrestrial  sphere,  un- 
less they  were  actuated  with  moral  dispositions  and  affec- 
tions very  different  from  those  which  many  of  them  now 
display.  For,  not  only  rancour  and  malice,  but  even  cold- 
ness and  indifference  to  the  welfare  of  others,  would  prevent 
happiness  from  being  enjoyed  in  any  region  of  the  material 
universe.  All  who  believe  in  the  reality  of  a  future  world, 
indulge  in  anxious  wishes  to  be  made  happy  when  they 
pass  from  this  mortal  scene  to  the  world  of  spirits.  Even 
wicked  men,  whose  consciences  frequently  forebode  evil 
to  them  in  the  other  world,  indulge  the  hope  that  God 
will  ultimately  be  merciful  to  them,  and  admit  them  to 
the  joys  of  heaven.  But  this  is  impossible,  in  the  very 
nature  of  things,  unless  they  be  "  renewed  in  the  spirit  of 
their  minds,"  and  endowed  with  those  holy  dispositions 
which  alone  can  qualify  them  for  relishing  substantial  hap- 
piness, and  for  participating  in  "  the  inheritance  of  the 
saints  in  light."  How  could  malignity  associate  with  Be- 
nevolence, Contention  with  Friendship,  or  War  with 
Peace  ?  How  could  the  sons  of  discord  dwell  in  uni- 
ty, in  an  assembly  where  all  is  harmony  and  love  ? 
How  could  the  malicious  and  revengeful  spirit  find 
delight  in  the  employments  of  kindness  and  pure  be- 
nignity ?  How  could  the  man  who  now  finds  his  chief 
pleasure  in  hounding  and  horse-racing,  in  brawling  and 
fighting,  have  any  relish  for  the  sublime  adorations,  the  en- 
raptured praises,  and  the  lofty  and  refined  contemplations, 
of  the  celestial  inhabitants?  The  thing  is  impossible,  un- 
less the  moral  order  of  all  worlds  were  completely  sub- 
verted. Such  characters  will  be  banished  from  the  abodes 
of  bliss  ;  not  by  any  arbitrary  decree  of  thp  Almighty,  but 
in  virtue  of  the  moral  constitution  of  the  intelligent  uni- 
verse. 

It  is,   therefore,   evident,   that  the   happiness  of   heaven 
must  be  founded  upon   the   exercise  of  love,  affection,  har- 


460  THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    RELIGlOJf. 

mony,  perfect  good-will  to  fellow-intelligences,  and  the 
infinite  variety  of  ramifications  into  which  such  principles 
may  diverge ;  combined  with  profound,  enlightened, 
and  venerable  views  and  affections,  in  relation  to  the  God 
and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  When  these  and 
similar  dispositions  are  uniformly  exercised,  without  the 
least  mixture  of  any  one  ingredient  of  moral  evil,  it  is  easy 
to  conceive,  with  what  transports  of  delight  the  inhabitants 
of  heaven  will  contemplate  the  displays  of  Divine  Power, 
Wisdom,  and  Goodness,  and  investigate  the  history  of  his 
dispensations  in  the  moral  government  of  our  world,  and  in 
the  arrangements  of  all  the  other  worlds  whose  physical 
and  moral  economy  may  be  laid  open  to  their  view.* 

Such  views  are  in  perfect  accordance  with  the  represen- 
tations of  Scripture. — "  Without  holiness,  no  man  shall  see 
the  liord."  "  The  pure  in  heart  (and  they  alone)  shall 
see  God."  "  Nothing  that  worketh  abomination,  can  en- 
ter within  the  gates  of  the  heavenly  city."  "  As  we  have 
borne  the  image  of  the  earthly,  (says  the  Apostle,)  so 
shall  we  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly."  "  Christ  Jesus 
gave  himself  for  the  church,  that  he  miglit  sanctify  and 
cleanse  it,  and  that  he  might  present  it  to  himself  a  glorious 
church,  holy,  and  without  blemish."  The  crown  of  glory, 
reserved  in  heaven  for  the  faithful,  is  designated  "  a  crown 
of  righteousness."  "  The  spirits  of  just  men,"  in  the  future 
world,  "  are  made  perfect,''  freed  from  every  taint  of 
moral  pollution,  and  unrestrained  in  the  exercise  of 
their  moral  powers.  The  inheritance  to  which  they  are 
destined,  is  "undefiled"  with  the  least  stain  of  corruption, 
or  with  the  example  of  impure  and  malignant  spirits. 
"  When  Christ,  who  is  our  life,  shall  appear,  wc  shall"  be 
like  him  ;"  transformed  into  his  moral  image,  and  animat- 
ed with  those  Divine  principles  and  virtues,  which  lie  dis- 
played in  his  conduct,  when  he  taberna(;led  among  men. 
The  saints  "  shall  walk  \vith  him  in  white,"  an  emblem 
of  their  perfect  moral  purity;  "they  shall  receive   an  in- 


*  Tiic  Author  will  have  an  opportunity  of  illustratinfr  tliis  topic 
in  more  minute  detail,  in  a  work  entitled,  "  The  Philoso])hy  of  a 
Future  State  ;  or,  an  Illustration  of  the  Connexion  of  Science  with 
the  Eternal  World, — and  of  the  Aids  which  its  Discoveries  afford, 
for  cnablin<T  us  to  form  a  conception  of  the  'perpetual  improvement  of 
the  celestial  inhabitants  in  knowledge  and  felicitv." 


Ft'TURE    STATE    OF    MISERY,    &,C.  461 

heritance  among  them  that  are  sanctified  i"  and  "  there 
shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow,  nor  crying ;  for  the 
former  things  shall  have  passed  away." 

V.  From  the  preceding  illustrations  we  may  learn 
something  of  the  nature  and  essence  of  future  punishment. 
If  the  exercise  of  love,  in  all  its  diversified  modifications, 
constitutes  the  foundation  and  the  essence  of  happiness, 
the  unrestrained  operations  of  malevolence  must  be  the 
source  and  the  sum  of  misery.  We  cannot  form  a  more 
dreadful  picture  of  future  punishment,  than  by  conceiving 
the  principles  of  falsehood,  deceit,  and  malignity,  and  the 
passions  of  pride,  hatred,  malice,  and  revenge,  raging  with 
uncontrolled  and  perpetual  violence.  We  need  represent 
to  ourselves  nothing  more  horrible  in  the  place  of  punish- 
ment, than  by  supposing  the  Almighty  simply  to  permit 
wicked  men  to  give  full  scope  to  their  malevolent  disposi- 
tions ;  leaving  them  "  to  eat  of  the  fruit  of  their  own 
ways,  and  to  be  filled  with  their  own  devices."  The  ef- 
fects produced  by  the  uncontrolled  operation  of  such  pria- 
ciples  and  passions  would  be  such,  as  may  be  fitly  repre- 
sented by  the  emblems  of  "  the  worm  that  never  dies," 
of  "  devouring  fire,"  and  of  their  necessary  concomitants, 
"  weeping,  and  wailing,  and  gnashing  of  teeth."  (See 
Chap.  II.  Sect.  iv.  pp.  127 — 136.)  What  other  ingredi- 
ents of  misery,  arising,  either  from  local  circumstances, 
from  the  recollection  of  the  past,  or  the  anticipation  of  the 
future,  may  be  raingled^with  the  cup  of  future  wo,  it  be- 
comes not  us  particularly  to  determine.  And,  whether 
this  scene  of  misery  will  ever  come  to  a  termination,  must 
be  determined  by  the  consideration,  whether  the  effects 
produced  by  such  a  punishment  will  have  a  tendency  to 
produce  repentance  and  reformation  on  the  minds  of  the 
suflferers.  If,  after  a  lapse  of  ages,  the  principles  of  hatred 
to  God,  and  to  surrounding  intelligences,  continue  to  ope- 
rate with  increasing  violence,  without  producing  the  least 
desire  of  returning  to  their  allegiance  to  God,  or  the  least 
symptom  of  reformation, — then,  we  may  conclude,  that 
the  misery  of  wicked  intelligences  will  continue  so  long  as 
they  remain  in  existence. 
39 


VALUABLE  SCHOOL  BOOKS 

PUBLISHED    BY 

E.  AND  G.  MERRIAM, 

BROOKFIEI^D,  MASS, 

For  sale  by  E.  Bliss,  New  York,  D.  F.  Robinson  «fc 
Co.  Hartford,  Peirce  &  Parker,  Boston,  A.  Claxton,  Phil- 
adelphia. 

MERRIAM'S  AMERICAN  READER. 
The    AMERICAN     READER:      Containing  Ex- 
tracts  suited  to  excite  a  love  of  Science  and  Literature, 
to  refine  the  taste  and  to  improve  the  moral  character. 
Designed  for  the  use  of  Schools. 

From  the  Boston  Recorder. 

The  character,  of  the  book  may  be  estimated  by  the  writers  chosen 
by  the  Compiler.  Among  the  European  are  Jane  Taylor,  Mrs. 
Hemans,  Mrs.  Opie,  H.  K.  White,  Montgomery,  B.  Barton  and 
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very  judicious  and  chaste  selection. 

From  a  Notice  of  the  Work. 

This  compilation,  in  point  of  moral  sentiment,  is,  in  our  judgment, 
superior  to  any  recent  publication  which  we  have  seen.  We 
recommend  the  work  to  the  early  consideration  of  School  Commit- 
tees,  and  hope  it  may  be  extensively  circulated. 

From  the  Massachusetts  Yeoman, 

The  American  Reader  is  a  handsomely  printed  duodecimo.  It  is, 
the  greater  part  of  it,  a  collection  of  elegant  extracts  from  some  of 
the  best  English  and  American  writers,  in  prose  and  poetry.  Many 
of  the  pieces  are  of  very  recent  pubhcation,  giving  to  the  book  an  in- 
terest which  is  wanting  in  some  other  similar  works.  We  think  it 
will  be  found  exceedingly  well  adapted  for  the  use  for  which  it  was 
designed.  It  is  certainly  an  interesting  miscellany  for  familiep,  and 
even  for  literary  readers. 


SCHOOL  BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY  E.  AND  G.  MERRIAM. 


The  FOURTH  CLASS  BOOK:    Containing  Lessons 
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OUTLINES    OF   PRACTICAL    GEOGRAPHY. 

Priucipally  consisting    of  Questions   on  the  Maps.     By 
vTogeph  Muenscher,  A.  M. 


The  CHILD'S  GUIDE  :  Comprising  Familiar  Les- 
sons, designed  to  aid  in  correct  Reading,  Spelling,  Defin- 
ing, Thinking  and  Acting. 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 

From  the  Education  Reporter. 

Tlxis  little  book  is  compiled  on  the  inductive  principle,  wliich 
we  apprehend  is  the  only  true  philosophy  to  be  consulted  in  prepar- 
ing books  for  beginners.  The  preface  contains  some  important 
practical  suggestions  to  teachers,  and  we  should  judge  the  book 
IS  worthy  of  a  fair  trial  in  the  primary  schools,  for  teaching  reading 
and  speUing  together.  The  author  proposes  it  as  a  leading  ob- 
ject, *'  so  to  adapt  and  apply  the  lessons  as  to  exert  the  best  pos- 
sible moral  influence."  He  appears  to  have  succeeded  in  securing 
this  object  •  at  least,  his  selections  are  miexceptionable  in  that 
respect. 

From  the   U.  S.  Literanj  ..Mvertiseu 

This  is  one  of  those  little  works  of  which  we  might  speak 
highly  with  a  clear  conscience  ;  and,  peradventure,  M'ithout  incurring 
the  peril  of  displeasing  any  envious  competitor  in  the  art  and  mys- 
tery of  manufacturing  school  books  ;  for  it  seems  admirably  adapt- 
ed to  till  an  existing  space  in  the  regular  line  of  infant  reading 
books.  It  is  judiciously  made  up  of  concise,  simple,  and  attractive 
lessons, 'suited  to  the  comprehension  and  tastes  of  children  between 
tho  ages  of  six  and  nine  or  ten.  The  subjects  are  well  chosen  ; 
and  from  the  eagerness  and  manifest  gratification  evinced  by  our 
own  children  in  the  perusal  of  the  copy  now  before  us,  we  infer 
that  those  sul)jects  are  such  as  peculiarly  interest  young  minds, 
not  yet  initiated  in  the  deeper  lore  of  more  abstruse  matter.  The 
contents  appear  to  have  been  selected,  with  much  care,  from  the 
most  popular  modern   publications  designed   for  juvenile  readers. 

From  the  J^Iassachusetts  Yeoman. 

We  have  looked  over  this   little  volume,  and  feel  safe   in  recom- 


SCHOOL    BOOKS    PUBLISHED    BY    E,    AND    G.    MERRIAM. 

monding  it,  as  a  useful  school  book,  well  adapted  to  the  minds  of 
small  cliildren.  The  pieces  consist  of  short  and  pleasing  stories, 
dialogues,  &c.  related  in  easy  and  simple  language  in  poetry  and 
proee,  and  are  well  adapted  to  instruction  and  the  improvement  of 
infant  minds. 


From  the  Boston  Recorder. 

The  following  notice  is  communicated  by  an  instructor  of  youth, 
who  has  used  the  book  which  he  recommends,  in  his  own  school. 

The  Child's  Guide. — This  is  a  book,  which  those  for  whom  it  is 
designed  can  understand.  It  is  also  eminently  calculated,  while  it 
awakens  interest,  and  improves  the  mind,  to  warm  the  pupil  into 
benevolent  and  pious  sentiments.  Were  it  our  province,  we  would 
recommend  it  to  the  attention  of  School  Committees,  Instructers, 
and  Parents.  Those  who  have  made  trial  of  the  Fourth  Clasx  Book, 
compiled  by  the  sama  pen,  will  not  hesitate  to  examine  it.  For  our- 
selves we  believe  it  deserves  to  take  rank  with  Leavitt's  Easy  Les- 
sons, Jack  Halyard,  and  Popular  Lessons.  We  have  only  to  regret 
that  the  state  of  public  sentiment  did  not  justify  the  authors  of  these 
invaluable  works,  but  especially  of  the  Child's  Guide,  to  adorn  and 
improve  them,  by  numerous  excellent  engravings,  without  regard  to 
the  expense. 

The  CHILD'S  ASSISTANT,  in  acquiring  Useful  and 
Practical  Knowledge. 

The  Book  comprises  brief,  comprehensive  and  interesting  Lessons, 
chiefly  in  the  form  of  question  and  answer,  on  the  following  subjects  : 
Geography — History — Aborigines  of  America — American  History — 
The  United  States — Astronomy— Falsehood — Manners  and  Cus- 
toms— Natural  History — Industry — Governments — Instances  of  III 
Manners — Obedience — Intemperance— Improper  Modes  of  Pronun- 
ciation Corrected — Explanation  of  common  French  and  Latin  phra- 
ses,  &c.     It  also  contains  tables  of  Weight,  Measure,  Time,  &c. 

From  the  Massachusetts  Yeoman. 

We  have  felt  the  need,  in  our  own  family,  of  just  such  an  "  Assisl- 
anV^  as  this  little  work.  It  is  designed,  by  questions  and  answers, 
to  i  iipart  to  the  inquisitive  minds  of  young  children,  a  knowledge 
of  facts  important  to  be  understood  by  them,  and  fitted  to  excite  the 
curiosity  to  know  more. — With  such  a  book  at  hand,  many  a  leisure 
moment  may  be  passed  pleasantly  to  the  parent  and  profitably  to 
the    gratified  children. 


Extract  from  a  notice  of  the  work^  in  the  Boston  Recorder. 
This  little  volume  contains  information  on  subjects  chiefly  prac- 


VALUABLE     WORKS     PUBLISHED    BY    E.    AND    G.    MERRUM. 

tical  and  important  in  the  transaction  of  the  ordinary  business  of 
life. — By  an  easy  introduction  of  the  young  mind  to  an  acquaintance 
with  some  of  the  principles  of  science,  it  is  calculated  to  give  a  relish 
for  learning,  which  can  never  be  lost.  A  copy  of  this  little  work 
ought  to  be  in  the  hands  of  every  child  between  four  and  eight  years  of 
age.  It  deserves  to  be  introduced  into  all  our  primary  schools,  and 
to  be  deeply  engraven  on  the  memory  of  every  scholar. 

The  AMERICAN  PRIMER :  Designed  as  the  First 
Book  for  Children. 

This  Book  consists  of  Easy  Lessons  in  spelling  and  reading,  ador- 
ned with  Cuts,  and  is  .well  adapted  to  assist  in  acquiring  the  first 
rudiments  of  education. 

E.  &.  G.  M.  have  also   lately  published  the  fol- 
lowing valuable  Works  : — 

The  CHRISTIAN  PHILOSOPHER  :  or,  the  Con- 
nection of  Science  and  Philosophy  with  Religion.  Illus- 
trated w?th  Engravings.     By  THOMAS  DICK. 


The  PHILOSOPHY  OF  A  FUTURE  STATE.  By 
THOMAS  DICK,  Author  of  "  The  Christian  Philoso- 
pher" "  The  Philosophy  of  Religion,"  &c.  Sic. 


THE  CHRISTIAN  HEARER  :  Designed  to 
show  the  Importance  of  Hearing  the  Word,  and  to  assist 
Christians  in  hearing  with  profit.  By  the  REV.  EDW. 
BICKERSTETH,  Author  of   "  A  Scripture  Help,"  &c. 

THE  STAR  OF  THE  WEST ;  Being  Memoirs  of 
the  Life  of  RISDON  DARRACOTT,  Minister  of  the 
Gospel,  at  Wellington,  Somerset,  with  Extracts  from 
his  Correspondence,  By  James  Bennet.  First  Ameri- 
can P^dition. 


VILLAGE  DISCOURSES.     By  Rev.  Thos.  Scott. 

In  Press — Guy's   Pocket   Cyclopcedia,   or  Epitome  of 
Universal  Knowledge. 


m'^-'-::^r::-: 


